Fabrevans OneShot Selections
by mandorac
Summary: Just miscellaneous Fabrevans one-shots! Rated M to be safe, not all one-shots will be M-rated though.
1. Open Arms

_**OPEN ARMS ~ A FABREVANS RECONCILIATION**_

**Setting: Season 3, after Sam joins WMHS Men's Synchronized Swim Team**

"He joined the _what_?" Quinn asked Tina quietly after Glee practice.

"The synchronized swim team! Didn't you notice his slick hair?"

Quinn had noticed it alright. She kept an eye on him as much as possible these days.

She missed him, missed him terribly. She was trying hard, though, to be a better person after the whole debacle with Shelby and Beth. She knew people thought she had fallen off the deep end into the abyss, but she was coming back, better. She was not going to try anything underhanded to win Sam back. She just was going to be his friend. Besides, it was obvious to everyone that he was still head-over-heels for Mercedes.

The question Quinn now had was how deep did Sam's affection for Mercedes go? He knew she had a big bad boyfriend and Shane had even had some words with Sam but Sam wouldn't back down.

Now that Sam had joined the men's synchronized swim team, she heard the snickers in the halls and classrooms, she saw the sympathetic looks from Mercedes, she saw the other boys looking down at him as he walked down the hallways, goofy grin on his face, totally unaware that the entire school was laughing at him.

Well, not the _entire_ school. Quinn didn't think it was funny. She knew how it felt to try to win someone's affections, just to be laughed at or rejected. She knew that sting well. She wondered what the final straw would be, what finally would break Sam and make his goofy grin disappear.

A week later, after it was common knowledge about Sam being a synchronized swimmer, in Glee rehearsal Mr. Schuester made a shocking announcement: he was going to propose to Miss Pillsbury and he wanted the Glee Club to help him. Coincidentally, Miss Pillsbury loved to watch synchronized swimming, so Mr. Schue thought he could mix her love of music and synchronized swimming into sort of a mash-up as his proposal. This would require the Glee Club donning swimsuits and performing a number in McKinley's pool. Quinn watched Sam's expression; he looked like he was over the moon. She watched him seek out Mercedes' gaze, but she was busy discussing swimsuit options with Kurt. And then Quinn saw it…a very quick flash of disappointment slip past Sam's face as he turned back toward the front of the class, doodling on his notebook.

"And the best thing, guys…we'll be singing an epic Journey song!"

The room erupted in classic groans. Mr. Schue played the song for them, though, and surprisingly they came around and decided it was a great song for a proposal. They began rehearsing the song.

_xxxxx_

For the next 2 weeks, they rehearsed the song out of the pool and eventually in the pool. They had decided on suits with skirts for the girls, red-and-white striped halter tops and navy blue skirts, and the boys wore long navy blue board shorts and red-and-white striped tanks. They learned very simple moves in the water, staying above water the whole time. While rehearsing in the pool area, they soon learned the acoustics were awful and they had to adjust for the echo. Mr. Schue's plan was to have Miss Pillsbury paged to the pool where the kids would burst into song and their water routine and Mr. Schue would appear in his tuxedo to propose.

As they rehearsed and Quinn learned the lyrics of the song she couldn't help but think of Sam. Of course, she watched him watch Mercedes and knew he was thinking the same thing, the song meant something to him about Mercedes though not about her.

Every day after practice in the pool, Shane was waiting outside the locker rooms for Mercedes and she went with him happily. Sometimes, Quinn would catch Sam watching them go, then he would wander off, forlorn and alone. Her heart ached for him, but she waited. She would know when the time would be right.

_xxxxx_

The day of the proposal arrived, and the Glee Club treated this performance as seriously as a competition performance. The girls changed into their swimsuits in the locker room, then did each other's hair.

"He said he wants to talk to me after this," Quinn overheard Mercedes whisper to Rachel.

"Won't Shane be waiting on you?"

"Not today…he has some interview with OSU," Mercedes replied, sighing. "I've tried to let him down easy, but he's just so damn persistent!"

Quinn had an idea about whom Mercedes spoke.

"What are you going to say to him? I think he really loves you," Rachel whispered. Quinn's stomach turned.

"Oh, he doesn't love me! He _thinks_ he loves me, but he doesn't…things just got…carried away…this summer, _that's_ what he's in love with," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes. Quinn couldn't believe what she just heard. _What did Mercedes mean, carried away? Did they do the deed?_ Then it hit her. Sam was going to get his heart broken in a big way after this proposal. She thought it might be wise if it took her longer than usual to change after the pool performance.

They took their positions in the pool, admiring Mr. Schue in his black suit. He went to the pool office and had Miss Pillsbury paged. The performance had begun.

The kids heard her heels clicking down the hall, getting closer and closer to the pool. She stepped inside the pool area on the deck, facing the Glee Club wading in the clear blue water.

"What…?" she asked.

The boys started singing.

_Lying beside you, here in the dark,_  
><em>Feeling your heart beat with mine…<em>

Then, the girls sang.

_Softly you whisper, you're so sincere,_  
><em>How could our love be so blind?<em>

Quinn glanced at Sam; he was glancing at Mercedes who was looking anywhere but back at Sam.

The boys sang a line, then the girls…

_We sailed on together…_  
><em>We drifted apart…<em>

Together, the entire group sang:

_And here you are by my side…_

Miss Pillsbury stood on the deck, watching the group, her hands clasped together under her chin, stars in her eyes. Quinn couldn't concern herself with Miss Pillsbury's reaction, though…she kept her eyes on Sam Evans.

_So now I come to you, with open arms,_  
><em>Nothing to hide, believe what I say…<em>  
><em>So here I am, with open arms,<em>  
><em>Hopefully you'll see, what your love means to me…<em>  
><em>Open arms…<em>

They glided through the water, singing their lines with passion, keeping the splashing to a minimum. They took their stationary positions and the girls sang first…

_Living without you, living alone,_  
><em>This empty house seems so cold.<em>

Then, the boys sang…

_Wanting to hold you, wanting you near…_  
><em>How much I wanted you home.<em>

They did the give-and-take again, first the girls, then the boys:

_But now that you've come back,_  
><em>Turned night into day…<em>

And all together: _I'll need you to stay…_

This was Mr. Schue's entrance; he sang the final chorus to Miss Pillsbury as the Glee Club provided soft background harmony for him. He approached Miss Pillsbury, and the kids quieted down. He knelt on one knee, proffered the engagement ring, and proposed.

Miss Pillsbury was a teary mess at that point but nodded in approval and fell into Mr. Schue's arms. The kids cheered and made their way to the side of the pool to congratulate the couple. By the time the group hug had broke apart, Mr. Schue and Miss Pillsbury were as wet as the kids but very obviously happy. They retreated to the locker rooms to change.

Quinn decided to take a shower and then messed with her hair in front of the mirrors as Mercedes changed out of her suit. When Mercedes grabbed her bag and purse, Quinn quickly changed into her street clothes and slipped out into the quiet hallway and listened.

She heard their voices nearby, talking quietly. She followed their voices until she was just around the corner from where they had met. Frankly, she didn't like eavesdropping, listening in on their private conversation, but she was determined to be there for Sam when Mercedes crushed his heart.

"Sam, please understand," Mercedes said to him quietly. "I'm in love with Shane and have been for some time. I have a future with him. I want to be your friend, Sam, but you've got to let it go..."

"'Cedes, you said you loved _me_ this summer...what happened to that? I'd do anything for you...why can't you understand that?" Sam pleaded.

Mercedes sighed. "I said I loved you in the heat of the moment and, yes, maybe in that one moment I did love you...but, we're just too different, Sam. And, I'm afraid you fell in love with what happened, not with me. I'm really sorry, Sam, but you've got to stop. Shane's starting to get upset..."

"What happened between was so special for me, 'Cedes. Just know that you're killing me now...go to Shane...he'll never love you like I love you..."

Quinn heard footsteps moving toward her and she ran around another corner to avoid being seen. From her new hiding spot, she saw Mercedes walking swiftly down the hall, appearing to be wiping tears from her face. In a way, this whole thing saddened Quinn. _Maybe Sam and Mercedes were right for one another_, she thought dejectedly. _I can always still be his friend, I guess_.

There were no more footsteps, so Quinn moved back to her original hiding spot and peeked around the corner. What she saw made her heart clench up.

He sat alone on a bench outside the boys locker room, bent over, holding his head in his hands, shoulders trembling, broken. She hesitated about going to him; he was in such a vulnerable state...he might lash out at her. She held her breath and walked to him slowly.

She sat down next to him and quietly asked, "Are you okay?" She lightly touched his shoulder.

He sat up straight and looked right at her. His face was red and tear-streaked, and, all she wanted to do in that moment was kiss him and make it all better.

"No, I'm not..." he mumbled.

She wrapped her arms around him then and they stayed that way for some time.

"I thought it was real with her," he said finally, sitting up from Quinn.

"I'm sorry, Sam, I'm sorry she can't see all the good right in front of her face," Quinn said quietly, casting her gaze downward.

He chuckled sarcastically. "Obviously, I wasn't that good..."

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about _that_! I was talking about the good person you are. You know what? Let her have Shane. She'll soon find out what she's missing...like I have unfortunately."

He looked at his hands clasped together between his knees. "What do you mean?"

"It was a hard lesson to learn but I see it now. I'm missing you in my life."

"You dumped me for Finn, remember?" He shook his head slightly.

She sat there for a moment, his words stinging her.

"You're right, Sam," she said finally. "I shouldn't expect you to believe a word I say when I misused your trust. You know where to find me if you need me."

It took all the strength she had to stand up and walk away from him. He watched her leave.

_xxxxx_

For the next month, he had to fight every impulse he had to go talk to Mercedes. He watched her and her boyfriend from afar, sometimes feeling eyes on him but he'd turn and there'd be no one there. Quinn offered to help him with an essay he needed to do for English, and she never once mentioned them going out or Mercedes or anything like that, just kept it to spelling and grammar and the topic of the essay. Rehearsals began for Mr. Schue's wedding and sometimes she'd offer Sam a ride back to Finn's house, especially if Finn and Kurt were otherwise occupied. She'd always drive him straight home, not once suggesting they stop at The Lima Bean or anything like that. She'd ask him about his family, his classes, even the synchronized swim team...but never would talk about anything more serious than that. As each day slowly passed for Sam, he slowly began to realize that Mercedes was right, they were from two different worlds and she was genuinely happy with Shane.

Valentine's Day rolled around, and Kurt did his Lonely Hearts Club with the Warblers at Breadstix, even though he was officially not a member anymore, he reminded everyone. Sam sat down with Puck, Artie, and Rory. The others were there to see the Warblers perform. Sam tried to not look at Mercedes and Shane and just focused on Puck and Artie trash talking each other. A glimmer caught his eye, and he saw her and for whatever reason he saw her in an entirely different light. Different from when they had dated, different than how she had been recently...he saw a new Quinn.

She wore a pretty pink dress with a sparkly pink headband. He guessed that that was what caught his eye. She sat down with Mike and Tina and Sugar. He watched her from his table, watched her laughing with those at her table, her eyes shining, exuding a radiance he had really never noticed before.

"Yo, earth to Sam Evans...dude..." Artie was saying to him.

"Yeah, what?"

"Whatchu lookin' at, boy? Some pretty girl in pink, I'm guessing," Artie said, following Sam's gaze.

"Yeah, so..."

"You've taken that ride before...don't tell me you're thinkin' about doin' it again."

Sam sat there, silent and watching.

The Warblers came back from a break and started singing _No Air_. The lights were dim, the candle on Quinn's table was casting a flickering light over her face as she watched the other couples going to dance. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Would you care to dance?"

She turned and looked up at Sam Evans. Her heart jumped. He was handsome, wearing black jeans, a white button-up, and red tie.

"I'd love to, Sam..." She took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

She draped her arms over his shoulders and he awkwardly planted his hands on her hips, both keeping a respectable distance from one another.

_We're only dancing as friends_, she thought.

_Was she always this tiny?_ he thought.

They moved together, except their movements were out-of-sync with one another unlike the others. They looked at everything else but each other. Finally, his eyes met hers; he bit his lower lip. Her hazel eyes went on forever, it seemed to him. Everything around them was no more when her eyes focused on him, drinking him in, allowing him entrance into her world.

_If I should die before I awake,_  
><em>It's 'cause you took my breath away...<em>  
><em>Losing you is like living in a world with no air...<em>

"Nice thing Kurt put together," Sam mumbled, glancing at the decorations, tearing his eyes off hers.

"Yeah, I missed it last year..." she replied.

_I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave,_  
><em>My heart won't move, it's incomplete...<em>  
><em>If there was a way I could make you understand...<em>

She felt his arm move to the small of her back, pulling her just a bit closer to him.

"You look really pretty tonight, I just wanted to tell you..." he said quietly, casting his eyes downward, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Thank you, Sam," she answered. She moved her arms farther around his shoulders, playing with the ends of his now-short hair.

_'Cause my world revolves around you,_  
><em>It's so hard for me to breathe...<em>

She was finally so close to him, she gently rested her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating, could smell his aftershave, felt his arms tighten around her waist. She closed her eyes and let him envelope her.

_No air, no air..._

He rested his cheek against the top of her head for the remainder of the song. At the end, he reluctantly let her go and watched her walk back to her table. He stood there, dumbfounded, wondering what the hell just happened. He returned to his table and tried to focus on the talk amongst the other three guys about Modern Warfare and Call of Duty and the Cincinnati Bengals. All he wanted to do, though, was sneak glances at the pretty blonde girl in the pink dress and sparkly headband who was presently giggling behind her hand at something Sugar just said.

Soon enough, the couples started leaving to continue their Valentine's Day plans elsewhere. The Warblers' set was done, and Puck, Artie, and Rory decided to go to Artie's house to play some new game on his XBox. They asked Sam to join them, they needed a fourth, but he said no thanks, he had other plans.

"Umm, dude, I'm your ride back to the Hudson's," Puck said, confused.

"S'ok...I'll find a way home..." Sam mumbled, watching the others leave arm in arm, hand in hand. He saw Mercedes look up at Shane and smile as he put her coat over her shoulders and he smiled too, finally happy for her.

The restaurant turned on their canned music but left the lights dimmed, candles glowing on all the tables. Sam stood up and approached Quinn's table, now empty except for her.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the empty side of the booth.

She was sipping on a pink drink.

"Sure..."

He smiled across the table at her, unable to contain it. "Happy Valentine's Day, Quinn."

"Thank you, Sam. And a happy Valentine's Day to you, too!" She returned his smile.

"I just had a question…" he said quietly.

"And what's that?"

"Can we start over?" he blurted out.

She paused before answering, gazing at him.

"Hi...I'm Quinn Fabray...and you are?" She held her hand out over the table.

His smile couldn't get any bigger. He took her hand in his and shook it.

"I'm Sam Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you," he replied, his words tumbling out slowly.

They talked the rest of the evening, even shared a thin sliver of cheesecake, until Breadstix turned on the lights and began closing.

Sam and Quinn blinked in the bright lights.

"I'll definitely be running that off tomorrow," he laughed, taking one last tiny bite of the cheesecake.

"I should too!" Quinn said, nibbling on it also.

"You wanna jog with me? I have a nice trail, just bundle up...it gets chilly," he told her.

"Sure, I'd like that. Umm, do you have a ride home or...?"

"I'm just gonna call one of the guys to come pick me up..."

"I don't mind dropping you off at the Hudson's, Sam..."

"Thanks, Q..."

He stood up and took her coat from the hook at the booth and waited for her to stand. He put it on her shoulders and waited for her to her arms through the sleeves. He put on his own coat and they headed for the exit.

She pushed through the door, squealing. _When was the last time he had ever heard her sound so happy? Had he ever heard her be so happy and uninhibited? _he thought, following her.

"It's snowing Sam! It's beautiful!"

She began twirling around in the tiny flakes, illuminated by a street lamp. The snowflakes dotted her shoulders, caught in her hair. He had to laugh when she stuck her tongue out to catch them there.

"C'mere!" she called to him. He joined her, and she wrapped her arms around him in a giant hug. "Such a wonderful night!"

He smiled. _It had been wonderful, magical_, he thought. He embraced her tightly.

"I'm so glad we're friends, Sam Evans!" she said, happily. His heart fell. She might not like what he was about to tell her.

"Quinn, I-I meant what I said about starting over. I want us to be more than friends," he said to her, his heart thumping in his chest.

He leaned into her, his cold lips touching her cold lips softly.

She was shocked, stunned that he was kissing her. She had backed off him after talking to him outside the pool but hadn't given up on his friendship. She told herself then he had moved on and she needed to also. But, she hadn't moved on. It had killed her to hang out with him and not reach out to touch him or flirt with him or kiss him.

He wondered if he should stop kissing her. He was gripping her upper arms, afraid to let her go again, when he felt her mittened hands slide up his arms, to his shoulders, pressing their bodies together. When the kiss did finally end, they were both covered with snow, both clinging to one another's upper arms. Both started talking at once.

"I'm sorry Quinn..."

"Sam, just having you..."

"I'm sorry...for the day at the pool...I've thought about that day a lot..." he continued.

"Just having you in my life, even if we're only friends, was enough for me...if you weren't my friend, I don't know what I'd do..." she said.

She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him again. "Hi, my name is Quinn Fabray, and it's so nice to meet you..." She giggled, and he hugged her close.

As she drove him toward the Hudson's, she hummed the song _Open Arms_.


	2. Perfect, Sam

_**PERFECT, SAM ~ A FABREVANS FIRST TIME**_

For the entire bus trip to Columbus, Quinn was blowing up Sam's phone and he was doing the same thing back to her. The Glee Club was traveling to Columbus to compete in the show choir sectionals. He had picked her up that morning and driven them to McKinley, getting there early and making out a little before joining the others to load the bus. Needless to say, they were worked up when they stepped on that bus.

Mr. Schuester of course had assigned seats for the trip, all the boys at the front of the bus with him and all of the girls and Artie at the back of the bus with Miss Pillsbury.

_At least I have my own seat_, Quinn thought, texting furiously.

Sam's phone vibrated on his knee. He touched the screen.

_What color r ur undies?_ she asked him.

He smiled to himself, glancing over his shoulder at her.

_Black & urs?_

Quinn's phone lit up in her hand. She responded: _pink I'll show u mine if u show me urs!_

Sam squirmed a little in his seat. This was definitely not the place for a boner but anymore questions like that would most likely do the trick.

_I'd like to see that…later?_

_We'll see…u were hard in the car…_

_U do that 2 me_

_Wat do u wanna do 2 me? _she asked.

For the past month or so, since winning the duet competition and beginning to date, they had been getting closer and closer. The night of the Hudson-Hummel wedding had been the farthest they had gone, when Quinn had let Sam lay on top of her in the back seat of his car, grinding his erection into her thigh until the friction was too much and he grunted over her, biting down on his lip, then shyly sat up, trying to cover the wet stain on the front of his dress pants. She had not spread her legs for him that night because of her russet-colored bridesmaid gown but dreamed of him later after he dropped her off at home, her legs wrapped around him in her dream, _it_ happening. She knew he'd never push the issue of sex with her – he was too much of a gentleman - so it was going to be on her to initiate any acts of love between them. Hence, the sexting…

_Oh god, what do I not wanna do to her?_ he thought to himself.

_I wanna kiss u…hard…with tongue…_

_Mmm…wat else Sammy? I want ur mouth on me…_

_Um I wanna touch ur boobs…wat do u wanna do 2 me?_

She smirked. There was a lot she wanted to do with him.

_Will u let me touch ur pecs?_ she asked.

_Yep…_

_Your belly?_

_Yes…_

_Your thigh?_

_Sure…_

She waited a minute or so before sending her next request.

_Your penis?_

That did it; he was hard on the bus.

_Do u want 2?_

_Yes…not just with my hand tho…_

He swallowed hard.

_With what?_

_My lips…n I want u 2 touch me…_

_I swear if I wasn't on this bus I'd be jerking off so hard right now_, Sam thought feverishly.

_I tink urs shoudl touch mine…_

The bus hit a pothole and his dyslexia was acting up, probably because most of the blood from his brain had migrated south to his crotch.

Quinn squirmed a little in her seat after reading his last message.

_Tonite…in ur car…wat u got n ur wallet?_

For a moment, he was confused…his wallet? He pulled it out from his back pocket and opened it. The familiar circular imprint caught his eye. He smiled and took a picture of it with his phone. _Hot damn, I'm getting' laid tonight!_ he thought, readjusting his erect cock.

She opened the picture he sent her: a condom, the package claiming it was purple and "ribbed for her pleasure."

_It is sooooo on_ she wrote back. Then, she looked around quickly, lifted the hem of her skirt, and took a picture of her pink panties and sent that to Sam.

He opened her picture and wondered if anyone would notice if he just shoved his hand down his pants. He actually considered it for a nanosecond but then reality hit in the form of Finn plopping down next to him yapping about the new Madden game.

_xxxxx_

Sam and Quinn were sitting with one another in the green room, listening to the others argue. Quinn had a little anxiety, remembering her water breaking at last year's sectionals. Sam held her hand tightly and reassured her that everything would be fine. They were singing their duet first and he needed to get in the zone. The lights flickered, the arguing stopped, and they left the room to take their places for their performance.

They were alone behind the curtains, the only thing separating them from the audience. She was standing in front of him in the final few seconds before they kicked off their performance. All the silly fun from that morning in his car and later on the bus was gone and they were serious and trying to control their breathing to control their nerves. He stared at her, still not completely able to believe _she_ was _his_. Her dainty hands rested on his chest, at the collar of his shirt. She looked up at him, her lips parted slightly.

"What?" she asked quietly.

He paused a moment, a smile playing at his lips.

"You're beautiful," he replied simply.

She smiled a little, batting her eyelashes at him one final time, and took her spot to wait on her cue.

Sam heard New Directions on the main stage, that was his cue, and he pushed through the curtains and began singing _I've Had The Time Of My Life_, making his way down the aisle to the stage. Quinn heard her cue and began making her way down her aisle. They locked eyes for nearly the entire performance. Once back together on stage, the audience and New Directions and the world disappeared and it was just him and her. At one point, she spun around into his arms, the ends of her golden blonde hair just brushing his cheeks, and in that moment he loved her completely.

Their song ended to rousing applause, then the rest of the performance went off without a hitch. New Directions tied with the Warblers, both moving forward to the regional competition. The kids were excited with their win and even happier when Mr. Schue offered to buy them dinner at a burger joint before returning to Lima. They changed back into their regular clothes and boarded the bus. He also told the kids they could sit with who they wanted on the bus trip home.

Sam and Quinn sat side by side at the restaurant and throughout the meal Sam was brazen enough to let his hand rest on Quinn's bare knee under the table. Her skin was smooth under his callused fingers and the thought crossed his mind that soon he'd find himself between her knees doing what men did.

It was no secret between them that he was a virgin and obviously she was not. There had been hot make-out sessions recently where she encouraged him more and more by letting him touch her and she touching him. Everything had happened over the clothes, though. He had felt her hard nipples over her bra, she had run her hand up and down the bulge in his jeans, he had gingerly moved his fingers over the damp crotch of her panties...

Now, back on the bus, heading to Lima in the dark, they were pressed together in a deep kiss. His hand had found its way up under her skirt and his fingers were exploring her over those pink panties.

Breathlessly, against his lips, she whispered _touch me_.

His breath caught in his throat. _Did she mean what he thought she meant?_

He kept kissing her as his fingers found the waistband of her panties. She didn't stop him; she even moved her hips a little to give him better access.

His fingers trembled as they pushed down on the other side of that dainty soft fabric. He wasn't sure what to expect, only seeing that female anatomy before in pictures. The first thing he touched was hair...not a lot and seemingly fine like the hair that brushed past his face on stage earlier. He broke the kiss for a moment, unable to gather all his thoughts together. He glanced down between them, at her lap.

"This is okay?" he managed to say.

She nodded and moved her hips again.

His middle finger led the way down more; he felt the division of her skin there. At that point, he was fairly sure his dick was going to explode through his jeans. The hair he encountered there was wet, more so than he expected. He rubbed up and down in that area when she shifted a thigh and suddenly his finger was in between those moist lips.

He gasped against her mouth, totally unprepared for that. The only thing coursing through his mind then spilled out of his mouth: _Touch me_.

Her hand was already nearing the apex of his legs; she could feel the heat radiating from his groin. He was awkwardly still fumbling between her legs, and she let him. At times, it was beginning to feel good, feel right. She unbuttoned his jeans and moved the zipper down slowly. His erection was straining at the fabric.

Her fingers danced lightly over the fabric of his boxers, feeling a small wet stain on his underwear at the tip of his penis. She had never touched a boy in this area, not even Puck. His length was rigid and hot. When her fingers dipped lower and touched his scrotum, he gasped again, his fingers stopping on her. He swallowed and glanced down at his lap, her hand about to slip underneath the waistband of his black boxer briefs. He moved his fingers again, against her wet flesh, moving down until he felt what he assumed was her entrance. He pressed his finger hesitantly there; it slipped in and for a moment he nearly lost all control.

Reality hit him like a slap in the face when he felt her slim fingers moving slowly through his pubic hair. Her fingers were actually under his cock when he felt her hand wrap around his shaft and squeeze gently.

They both broke from their kissing, staring at each other. Not knowing what else to do, she began moving her hand up and down his length.

He swallowed thickly. "We prob'ly should stop..." he eked out.

She leaned into him again, her lips landing on the side of his neck, just to the side of his Adam's apple. He moaned quietly next to her ear.

"I need to stop, Q," he said, moving his hand out of her panties. "I'm sorry."

She didn't want to let go of him, but she did so reluctantly. She felt the wetness at the tip of his cock and wondered if that was the reason why he wanted to stop.

"We're almost home...we can finish this in the back of my car," he whispered to her, as he zipped up his pants.

_xxxxx_

They went to his car quickly after getting back to the school. He started the car and let it warm up and turned the radio on low. They sat quietly on the front seat, the actuality of the situation hitting them both hard. There was only one seat between them and the back of his car, where she planned on taking his virginity.

He was nervous, probably too nervous, after all that bravado from earlier on the bus with the sexting, his confidence during their performance, his aggressiveness on the bus ride home. All that machismo was gone as he trembled in the driver's seat of his car, waiting for her to make the first move. He thought of the purple condom, now in his front pocket, given to him as a joke on his 16th birthday from his dad of all people. It wasn't such a joke anymore, considering it was about to be put to use.

She reached over and picked up his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. "We don't have to, if you don't want to," she said quietly.

He looked at her. Her eyes were shining in the lights from the dashboard; she licked her lips slightly. He leaned over to her and kissed her softly. "I want to..." he mumbled, taking her face in his hands, kissing her with more urgency.

She finally whispered _back seat_, and they both just crawled over the front seat and were in each other's arms in the back.

He tried not to over-think the situation: _Does she lay down or get on top of me? Am I on top of her? How do I put a condom on? Do I take her panties off? Do I pull my pants down? What if I moan when I come? What if she doesn't come? What if I fall on her? What if I'm too small? What if I'm too big?_

He felt her reach over to his jeans and again unbuttoned and unzipped them for him. He sat up and lifted his hips, slipping the condom out of his pocket, then pushed his pants down to his knees. She reached over and felt him over his boxers, rubbing him into an erection. From this angle, a parking lot light was shining in the back of his car, and he could see her expression well. She looked as nervous as he felt but she also looked _wanting_. He watched her push her skirt up a little and then saw the pink underwear slide down her thighs, over her knees, and down her calves.

"Ummm..." She glanced behind her, then took him by the shoulders and leaned back, pulling him with her so that they were belly to belly on his back seat.

He began kissing her, not knowing what else to do. "Are you sure about this, Quinn?" he asked her, beginning to feel her heat at his crotch.

She nodded, her eyes looking up at him. "I'm sure, Sam..."

He whispered _okay_ and went back to kissing her. He began moving his hips to her, hoping he was doing something right. He then felt her tugging at something...his boxers. _Jesus fucking Christ, I still have my underwear on!_ he thought nervously. _I was trying to bang her through my boxers!_

His hips were smooth and slim under her hands. She had worked his boxers down so far and could feel his nakedness against her. He pushed his hips at her again. He could feel her pubes brushing the head of his cock and his thoughts scattered.

"Do you have the...?" she asked a bit timidly.

"The what?" he asked her, then realized he was holding it in his right hand as he hovered over her. _The purple condom, you idiot!_ he thought. He pushed back onto his knees and watched her push her skirt down between her legs. He sat against the seat and pushed his boxers the rest of the way down, out of his way. He ripped the condom package open and took out the thin piece of purple latex. He had heard the guys talking about rubbers in the locker room for the past few years so he did what he had heard. He put it over the tip of his penis and tried rolling it down. It got about halfway and wouldn't roll down anymore. _Why me?_ he thought, trying to pull it the rest of the way down his cock. He moved it down a little further and figured that was good enough; he was going to go soft if he kept playing with it.

"Okay...I think I did that right..." he mumbled, moving back over her.

"C'mere," she said, taking his face in her hands, pulling him down nearly nose to nose with her. "I want to do this with you, Sam Evans. I want to share this with you. I want to be your first."

She kissed him then, passionately, wanting his tongue in her mouth. She spread her legs open further, and he settled against her. Their private parts were aligned; there was nothing else to do but _it_.

"I want to you too..." he said, stumbling over his words. "I mean, I want you too."

He started jabbing at her with his erection, not sure of how to go about entering her. He had never been so relieved as when she reached down between them and he felt those tiny fingers on his dick again, moving him against her, down, down, until she stopped and withdrew her hand. She brought her knees up more around him and he suddenly felt why she placed him there in that warm moist spot.

He pushed his hips again slowly, gently, and felt the give as he slid into her. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect what he felt, the warmth and wetness constricting around his manhood, squeezing him, like he was made to fill that space. As he eased into her, he felt her breathing quicken. He was hovering over her face, lips not quite touching hers, both their eyes not blinking, just gazing at one another. As he moved in more, his eyes closed. His entire body felt enveloped in her heat...he never wanted it to end.

She could sense his nervousness from the moment they hopped into the back seat together. He was trembling over her, from his nerves, from how she felt to him. When he closed his eyes, she moved her hands to his beautiful blonde hair and ran her fingers through it, messing it up but making him moan for the first time since he entered her. There was no pain, like there had been with Puck, just pressure and Sam took his time. He moved into her slowly, inch by inch, until he could go no farther. She stayed still, waiting for his next movement; he filled her completely. He didn't move then, just stayed still and kept kissing her. He realized after a few moments that he was supposed to be moving. He broke the kiss and backed his hips away from her slowly. And then he understood why guys thought about sex all the time. The friction was unbelievable, not even close to how it felt with his hand doing the job. Once he was almost all the way out of her, he began pushing back in, but not as slowly that time.

"Is this right?" he gasped out to her.

"Perfect, Sam..." she replied, gripping his shoulders.

He whispered _okay_ again and kept moving his hips. He noticed she was moving with him; he never expected that to happen for some reason. There was a lot he didn't expect about his first time with Quinn, his first time _ever_. Like the fact that he had never felt so close to another person ever and how if he died now he'd die very, very happy.

He felt more confident as they moved together and picked up his pace. He couldn't concentrate on hardly anything, though he was trying to kiss her. His lips were just above hers; his mouth working, his tongue slipping out occasionally, biting his lip occasionally. He knew what was about to happen, could feel it building deep within him, but he wanted this to last forever. He wanted to be this close to her forever, he suddenly realized.

"Kiss me, Sam...kiss me..." Quinn whispered below him, straining upward to meet his lips. Their lips touched then and a spark raced through his body to the pit of his stomach.

"Oh god, Quinn...oh..._god_..." he panted, punctuating each word with hard thrusts. His body tensed up, then trembled, when he had his orgasm. He tried as hard as he could to kiss her through it. Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could stop his hips from what they were doing. He stayed hard for some time after he came and moved back and forth into her for as long as he could. Right before he pulled out of her body, he leaned up over her face and looked down at her, to gauge her reaction to their coupling, and a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead and landed on hers. And she smiled up at him.

He sat up between her knees, gasping for air. He dropped his head back on the seat rest and pondered what just happened. His hand subconsciously found its way to his dick and pinched off the end of the condom and pulled it off himself. The reality of sitting there holding a condomful of his seed hit him, and he lifted his head up and tied it off, tossing it on the floor boards.

He looked over at Quinn. "Thank you," he said.

"Thank _you_," she replied, giggling.

He was confused. "For what?"

She sat up and whispered to him, "For making me feel whole again."

Again, the feeling of _closeness_ to her washed over him. "I love you so much, Quinn Fabray."

That was the first time the L word had been uttered by either one of them.

She blushed. "I love you too, Sam Evans."


	3. Sam Comes Home

_**SAM COMES HOME ~ FUTURE FABREVANS**_

The real estate business had taken a serious nosedive about five years after graduation. Those first five years, Quinn Fabray was living the dream, albeit still in her hometown of Lima, Ohio. Real estate was a booming business, and she had followed in her mother's footsteps and earned her realtor license with ease and started selling houses and condos left and right, thanks to a few new developments going up around town. Five years into the business, though, everything was in foreclosure and nothing was being bought anywhere. Quinn had to suck it up and move back in with her mother since her income was close to nil by that point. Every day, though, she went into the office and tried to find new leads, new contacts, anything to generate some work. Otherwise, she was left alone with her multitude of thoughts, ranging from _why does my life suck so bad?_ to _I wonder how Beth is doing?_ to _Can Finn and Rachel be any more annoying?_ to _I wonder what Sam Evans is up to these days?_

Yes, she still thought of him, even five years after graduation, five years after not talking to him at all. She thought of those high school days often since she saw Finn and Rachel often as her real estate office was across the street from Hudson Tires. Almost daily, she'd see Rachel visiting Finn there, pushing a stroller and holding their oldest child by the hand. When Rachel found out Quinn worked across the street, her daily visits to the tire shop usually included visiting Quinn. Actually, Quinn didn't mind it when Rachel and her two babies came to visit. It broke up the otherwise usually boring days at the office.

"I promise you, once we have enough saved for a down payment, I'll be knocking on your door wanting you to show me all the available bungalows in Lima!" Rachel said one August day.

"I'll be glad to Mrs. Hudson! I have a few larger bungalows you might be interested in," Quinn said, smiling.

"Larger bungalows? You mean, _mansions_?" Rachel asked, shocked.

Quinn nodded. "I could take you through them if you wanted me to!"

"Maybe someday when I can get a babysitter for Bailey and Marie," Rachel said, motioning to the kids. "Oh! Guess what Finn told me?"

Quinn was sitting at her desk, going over some information on more foreclosures just added to the long list. "Hmm?"

"Sam Evans is coming back to coach at McKinley!"

Quinn looked up sharply. _That_ definitely got her attention. "What about Coach Beiste?"

"Well, he's coming back as an assistant coach and astronomy teacher...can you believe that? Coach Beiste wants him to replace her when she retires."

"What about Finn?" Quinn asked. Finn worked part-time as a trainer for the Titans football squad.

"She offered it to him, but he didn't want the full-time assistant coach position, not with Bailey and Marie," Rachel said, picking up the youngest, Marie, and bouncing her on her knee.

"When will he be back?"

"Oh, he's here in Lima, got in last week," Rachel told her offhandedly.

And no one bothered to tell me? He didn't even come by to see me?

Quinn thought, feeling a bit rejected.

"Hmm, I see." Quinn decided to change the subject. "Look at these pictures! Can you believe they are foreclosing on this?" Quinn had pictures of an empty mansion just outside Lima, just added to the foreclosure list. She suddenly wondered if Sam Evans needed residential assistance.

That night, at her mother's, sitting in her old bedroom, she pulled out her senior yearbook and started flipping the pages. She read through some of the inscriptions, stopping where Sam had signed the book. _Always reach for the stars! You deserve them! Love, Sam_ he had written. She smiled, thinking of the goofy kid and his nerdy ways and how he loved his stars. He must've gone on to study astronomy in college, she thought. She flipped a few more pages and found the Glee Club page. They were all smiling and so happy, just coming off a huge Regionals win. He stood next to Mercedes, his arm draped over her shoulders. Quinn remembered how Mercedes broke up with her linebacker boyfriend to start dating Sam when he returned to Lima, then the huge blowup they had at Nationals in Atlanta, when Mercedes broke up with Sam to go back with Shane. The plane trip home had been miserable. Quinn just tried to stay out of it. As soon as they graduated, Mercedes broke up with Shane and left for Hollywood. As far as Quinn knew, Mercedes had not returned to Lima or even contacted any of them since leaving. She flipped to the pages covering prom that year and saw herself reigning as prom queen and Sam by her side as prom king. He had been cordial that night and they danced their one dance together, then went back to their respective dates. She had come with one of the guys on the basketball team and he was there with a younger Cheerio. Their picture together, though, was so perfect. She could still feel the touch of his hand on her hip when he wrapped his arm around her waist for the picture. She couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she made a mistake back in high school in not pursuing Sam Evans.

_xxxxx_

"You'll be just fine, Maddie, I promise you. Does daddy ever lie?" Sam asked the little blonde-haired girl who was pouting in front of him.

"But I don't wanna go daddy!" she said, stomping her foot and crossing her arms in front of her.

He squatted down to be eye level with her. Her blue eyes blazed back at him. _She is madder than hell_, he thought, _just like her mother could be_. The little girl was his spitting image though and that made it hard for Sam to tell his daughter _no_.

"Do you really want to go to school all day with me? Then football practice? You'd be bored out of your gourd!" he said, laughing and picking her up. At 4 years old, she weighed nearly nothing to Sam.

"What's a gourd?" she asked, sitting on his hip as he maneuvered through their boxes to their kitchen.

He set her down out there next to the countertop where he had been working on putting her lunch together and his lunch together. Today was his first day back at McKinley and Maddie's first day at preschool.

"A gourd is like a fruit," he said, not really sure if he was right or not. "Like a pumpkin."

"Oh," she said, thinking about that. "Well I still don't wanna go! I wanna stay with you daddy!"

He looked down at her, again in her pouting stance, now with her lower lip puffed out. Her hair, a mess of blonde curls, was up in a high ponytail, the best he could manage. He had put her in striped leggings with a denim skirt and a t-shirt with a cardigan. She didn't look half bad for being a kid of a single father.

"You will have so much fun today, Madeline Cherie, I can't even begin to describe it! You'll make new friends, learn all kinds of new stuff...you'll love it there! And I'll be right across the street," he told her happily. He had chosen the preschool located right across the street from McKinley so he'd be near her all day. He didn't want to let on to his only daughter, but this was proving to be as difficult for him as it was to her.

Maddie looked up at him, wanting to believe him. She still looked worried.

"I'll tell you what," Sam started, again squatting down to her level. "If you don't do one single fun thing today, then you don't have to go back. Deal?"

He stuck his hand out between them. She looked at it and then slapped her little hand into his. He pumped their handshake in an exaggerated manner, making her laugh. He finished preparing their lunches, made sure she had her backpack and he had his briefcase, and they left their apartment.

_xxxxx_

At her new preschool, Sam told himself he'd walk her in on the first day, kiss her goodbye, and turn and leave. He had very good intentions. Except when he walked her to her classroom and saw how absolutely tiny she appeared in the large room with 15 other kids running around he wouldn't-couldn't-let go of her hand.

"Daddy!" she whispered. He looked down at her. He realized he was embarrassing her by standing their holding her hand in front of the other kids. He reluctantly let go.

"Do you need any help finding your desk? Where to put your backpack?" he asked her nervously, trying to stall so he wouldn't have to turn and leave.

The teacher came over, a lady a bit older than him perhaps, and shook his hand. She introduced herself as Miss Carlisle and asked Maddie who she was.

"Madeline Cherie Evans, ma'am," Maddie piped up. Sam had never been so proud.

"Ooo la la, what a beautiful French name!" her teacher said smiling.

"My mother named me…" Maddie said, looking up at Sam.

"Do you need anything from me? Phone numbers? Address? I'm working right across the street at McKinley High, my alma mater…"

"I believe we're fine, Mr. Evans. Now, Maddie is scheduled to stay after in latchkey, correct?"

"That's right. I'll be at football practice until 4:30…if anyone needs me," he said, resting a hand on Maddie's shoulder. "You'll have a great day, Madeline. I'll see you this afternoon."

He picked her up quickly to hug and kiss her, and she squirmed her way out of his arms.

"Come with me, Miss Maddie, and I'll show you your table," Miss Carlisle lead Maddie away from Sam and Sam knew that that was his cue to turn and leave.

He made it to the door and turned around. Maddie was already talking to a little red-haired girl at her table and was paying no attention to him leaving.

Sam drove across the street to McKinley and found a spot in the teacher's lot. He had been there a couple days before, signing all the needed paperwork for his new position, meeting with Coach Beiste, and preparing his astronomy classroom. The first time he walked into that room the memories came flooding back, namely the time he tried to kiss Quinn Fabray while trying to convince her to sing a duet with him in Glee Club. He recalled how almost frightened she had become and had run from the room, leaving him standing there completely clueless. He wondered what she was up to nowadays and made a mental note to ask Finn about her. During his free period, he sat at his desk, looking at a framed picture of Maddie. It was taken when she first started walking; she was excited; he was excited.

He wondered if Sennett ever thought of her. He had met Sennett his freshman year of college in his astronomy class; she was from France and studying abroad. At first, her beauty attracted him, then her unique name, then her personality. Their relationship blazed quickly, then burned out. During his second year of school, she sought him out one day, finding him in the astronomy department; she was crying. He had not seen her since their breakup and couldn't imagine what she wanted. He hated seeing girls cry, so he hugged her quickly and asked her what was wrong. She said she was returning to France, but she needed to leave him with something first. It was then that she pushed the stroller from around the corner of the door and a very new tiny baby, stirring awake, made eye contact with Sam. As soon as he looked into those eyes, he knew. The baby was his daughter.

They had walked to a nearby coffee shop to talk more. She said she couldn't take the baby to France; her parents didn't know about her and would disown her if they knew she had had a baby out of wedlock. She had no other choice than to leave her with Sam. "I named her Madeline Cherie...I hope you like it," she mumbled to Sam. He just nodded; he was stunned into silence at that point. Sennett left him with all of Madeline's paperwork and a few baby items. She was born on July 31 and was 6 weeks old; he had just turned 19. He had no other choice than to call his parents and figure out what to do. He shook those memories out of his head then and focused on classwork the rest of the day.

The first day of school went relatively well. He was teaching basic astronomy for teenagers, and he gathered most of them thought the class would be an easy A. He was determined to not make it that way and hopefully one of them would actually learn something. He loved talking about the galaxies and stars and planets and sharing his knowledge with others. When the school day ended, he went to the locker room to work with the football team recruits. Once on the field, Sam could actually see the preschool and wondered how Maddie was doing. He couldn't wait to scoop her up in his arms and hug that little girl. Basically, his entire life revolved around her.

_xxxxx_

He walked into the preschool and she ran into his arms, squealing. He picked her up, hugging her close to him.

"Daddy! Daddy! I had the bestest time _ever_!" she said, breathlessly. "First, Miss Carlisle read us a story, then we played a game about letters and numbers, then we played outside, then we took a nap (but I only acted like I was asleep!), then then then..." She paused to catch her breath. "We _finger _painted! Look what I painted!" She was clutching a large piece of paper and held it up for him to see.

A smile spread across his face. It was a man and his daughter, going to school and work. She had even remembered the color tie he wore that day.

"That is a masterpiece, Maddie! And, it shall go directly on the refrigerator!" he said cheerfully, carrying her to their car. "I missed you lots today. Did you miss me?"

She screwed up her face a bit in thought. "Umm, a little, I s'pose...oh! We sang songs too!"

"What songs? I love to sing," he asked her.

She tried to recall them but was too excited to remember them.

"It sounds like you had a great day, young lady," Sam said.

"I did! I can't wait 'til tomorrow!"

Sam decided not to remind her of their 'bet' from that morning.

The next two weeks went without issue for Sam and his daughter. They were both busy with school and the football team was busy practicing for their big homecoming game. Sam contacted Finn and Rachel to see if they could bring Maddie to the game.

"That's a great idea, Sam! I'm sure Bailey will love Maddie," Rachel told him. "We'll have fun while you lead those boys to a victory!"

Sam chuckled. "Well, that remains to be seen...thanks a lot, Rach."

_xxxxx_

Quinn was sitting in her office, doodling on the desk calendar that covered her desk. She at least had a couple appointments that afternoon to show some properties and then had to meet another client that evening who was listing his property with her so that'd keep her busy for at least a little while. The bell over the door rang out, and Quinn looked up. Rachel was headed her way with her stroller and two kids.

"Hey girlfriend!" Rachel said, smiling. _She's as goofy now as she was in high school_, Quinn thought, also smiling.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hudson. Interested in buying a lovely home?" Quinn asked.

"Not today! We were just wondering what you were doing this Saturday night?"

_Hmmm...besides giving myself a mani/pedi, then popping in Gone With the Wind and cracking open that new tub of Ben & Jerry's?_

"Not much, why?"

"Well, it's homecoming at McKinley...I thought you might want to..."

Quinn interrupted her. "No way. I'm not going to sit through that crummy game with you!"

"No, seriously, we'll have fun! Finn is helping Coach Beiste so it'll just be me and the kids...please come?"

Quinn picked up Marie and bounced her on her knee.

"I can go home straight afterwards? No dances? No Breadstix? Just home..."

"Sure...although you'd have fun if we went to the homecoming dance, you know that!"

Quinn sighed. She had nothing better to do Saturday night.

"Fine. What time will you pick me up?"

_xxxxx_

Quinn heard the honk and ran out to Rachel's car. She slipped into the passenger side, surprised to see three kids strapped in the back seat, not just two.

"Hi Bailey! Hi Marie!" Quinn said happily. Quietly, to Rachel, she asked, "Who's the third one?"

"Her name is Maddie..."

"Hi Maddie!"

"Maddie Evans..."

Quinn looked at Rachel.

"As in _Sam _Evans?" she hissed.

Rachel couldn't hold back her smile and nodded furiously. "Yep, the one and only!"

Quinn felt a little nauseous. So Sam had a daughter apparently. No wonder he hadn't tried to contact her. She sighed. _And, of course, he'd be at this game tonight_, she thought, cringing inside.

Quinn turned a bit in her seat to face the back. "So, Maddie, how do you like Lima so far?"

"I love my school! I don't even miss my daddy while he's at school," Maddie answered her politely. "Bailey and I are the same age...four!"

_Sam was busy right out of high school, I guess_, Quinn thought.

"School is fun, especially at your age," Quinn said. "Will your mommy be at the football game?"

"No..."

"Sam asked me if I could bring her...he's a single dad, Quinn," Rachel interjected.

"Oh..." Quinn mulled this over. _Sam, a single dad of a 4-year-old? Intriguing!_ she thought. _I wonder what his story is_.

At the game, they found seats in the stands, not too high up because Rachel was hauling a car seat with baby Marie and Quinn held two little hands in her own. They all got situated on the bleachers, and Quinn scanned the McKinley High football team for a certain blonde. Finally, the huddle of boys parted and ran out onto the field, and there he was, holding a clipboard, watching the guys take their positions.

He had not changed too much since graduation...still muscular but slim, still clean-shaven, hair a bit shorter and darker. She thought he did look a little more grown-up in black athletic pants and a red, black, and white McKinley High athletic department polo. He was totally focused on the players and the calls being made and was conferring with Coach Beiste and Finn about things. Finally, during a time-out, Sam turned and scanned the stands for Rachel and his daughter.

His eyes finally landed on them, and he waved. Maddie waved and screamed at him. Rachel and Quinn were flanking the three girls. Quinn saw him nod at Rachel and then his eyes fell on her. He looked a little confused and then waved a bit and turned back to the game. She couldn't deny it...her heart fluttered when their eyes met.

_Quinn Fabray? Sitting in the stands next to my Maddie? Wonder why she isn't here with her husband?_ Sam thought, tapping the clipboard with the pen.

At halftime, Sam followed the team into the locker rooms. On the stands, Quinn offered to go get some snacks and pops. Maddie asked if she could go with her.

"Sure, Maddie. C'mon..." Quinn said, picking up her hand. When they got to the concession stand, Quinn got a really good look at the little girl. She had curly blonde hair and Sam's eyes. Her skin was creamy and a few tiny freckles were scattered over her nose. Her lips weren't as full as Sam's but pretty nonetheless, shaped like a pink rosebud. When she smiled, it was lopsided, very much like Sam.

"You look a lot like your daddy," Quinn said.

"You know my daddy?"

"Yep...I went to school with him a few years ago," Quinn replied.

"He went to school with my mommy too," Maddie told her.

"He did? Where is your mommy?"

"She lives in France," Maddie said, nonchalantly. "She never calls."

Quinn was floored. She stepped up to the counter and ordered some popcorn and pretzels and drinks.

"Can you help me, Maddie? I don't have enough hands," Quinn said, smiling to the little girl.

"Sure. Daddy says I'm a good helper!"

They returned to their seats with Maddie helping her carry the goods.

"Can they have popcorn? I didn't know," Quinn asked Rachel, referring to the little girls.

"Everyone but Marie!" Rachel giggled.

The game was restarting in five minutes, and Finn approached the girls, followed by Sam. Quinn held her breath but smiled warmly up at him.

"Hi Maddie C!" Sam picked her up. "Do you like football yet?"

She giggled. "You're silly, daddy!"

Sam glanced at Quinn, then back to Maddie. "I see you've met an old friend of mine."

"Yeah, Quinn...she's real nice, daddy."

"Yep, she is," he said, setting Maddie back on her seat.

"Quinn...so good to see you!" He opened his arms to her, so she stood up and embraced him quickly.

"Good to see you, Sam. Your little girl is darling," Quinn said to him.

"She is...chip off the ol' block!" he laughed. Coach Beiste blew her whistle. "Oh, gotta run. I'll see you after the game, Maddie!" He bent and kissed her quickly and took off for the sidelines.

As he jogged back over to Coach Beiste, all Sam could think of was the fact Quinn's left ring finger was bare.

_xxxxx_

McKinley High won their homecoming game by a wide margin. Finn finished up with the team first and joined Rachel, Quinn, and the girls.

"I can stay with Maddie if you all need to go on home," Quinn offered. Their baby was getting cranky.

"Sure...Sam can drop you off, I'm sure," Finn said.

The Hudsons got their belongings together and headed for their vehicle.

Quinn and Maddie sat down against a wall outside the boy's locker room. The scene was familiar to Quinn, many times meeting Finn there, or Puck, or sometimes Sam, after games.

"So, you go to school, Maddie?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, I do. And I learn lots of neat stuff...like finger painting! I love to finger paint!" Maddie said, adding emphasis to finger painting.

"Oh, finger painting _is_ neat! I loved it too in school," Quinn told her.

"I've made lots of friends...girls like Bailey and boys who are nice like my daddy."

"Those boys are the best kind to be friends with," Quinn said. "The ones who are like your daddy. He was really sweet in school."

Maddie giggled next to Quinn. "Daddy? Sweet?"

"Yep...he was a good friend to have."

Sam exited the locker room, laughing with Coach Beiste. Quinn and Maddie stood up.

"Hi daddy!" Maddie piped up.

"Why, who's this cute little Sam Evans look-alike?" Coach Beiste asked.

"Coach, this is my daughter, Maddie…Maddie this is Coach Beiste," Sam said, smiling and picking her up.

Maddie's smile disappeared and she looked at Sam in shock. "Like a monster?" Maddie whispered to him.

Sam chuckled, Quinn giggled, and Coach Beiste guffawed. "Some of those turkeys in there think I'm a monster!" Coach Beiste thumbed toward the boy's locker room. She looked at Quinn. "Weren't you one of the Cheerios?"

"Yes, Coach, Quinn Fabray," Quinn said, shaking the coach's hand.

Coach Beiste suddenly recognized her. "From Fabray Real Estate?"

"Yes, the one and only," Quinn said, flashing her smile reserved for doing business.

"Do you deal in condos? I've been thinking of upgrading," Coach Beiste asked her.

"We sure do!" Quinn whipped out a business card and handed it over. "Call me anytime and I'll see how I can help you."

Coach Beiste thanked her, told Maddie it was nice meeting her, and said goodnight to Sam. She turned to return to the locker room, and they could hear her yelling, "Cover it up boys! That's as odd as a freckle on rooster!"

Sam and Quinn looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"What does that even mean?" Quinn asked.

"I have no clue…Coach is one-of-a-kind, though." He shifted Maddie on his hip. "You tired, Madeline?"

"Sleepy…" she yawned.

Sam looked at Quinn, a warm smile on his lips. "I better get her home…beauty rest and all…it was great seeing you tonight."

"I hate to be a bother, but is there any way you could drop me off at my home? Finn and Rachel already left with their sleepy kids," she asked him, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Sure, not a problem…where are you living now?"

They began walking to the parking lot. Now, she really was going to feel like an idiot. "Um, at my old house…"

He didn't seem surprised that she was still living at home and not on her own. He simply said _okay_ and led her to his car. He strapped Maddie in her car seat and they headed off in the direction of Quinn's mom's house.

He pulled up in her driveway, told her again it was great running into her, maybe they could get together sometime and catch up? She agreed that that was a good idea and suggested the afternoon of the next day at The Lima Bean.

"That place is still here?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Oh yeah, and going strong. Thank you for the ride, Sam. Goodnight," she said quietly as Maddie was snoring in the back seat and stepped out of his car, shutting the door easily. He watched her enter the house and backed out of the driveway.

"Goodnight Quinn," he murmured, pulling away.

Inside her house, Quinn leaned against the front door after locking it and setting the alarm and felt like swooning. She then realized that he drove her home from memory; he didn't ask directions.

_xxxxx_

The next day, Sam and Maddie met Quinn at The Lima Bean. They all had mugs of hot chocolate. Sam and Quinn shared stories of their high school days with Maddie, telling her about Glee Club and Sam playing football. It was nice to talk with Sam, and she enjoyed talking to his daughter, as well. She was polite and smart for a 4-year-old, Quinn thought, and just a delight to spend time with.

Sam asked Quinn about the real estate business, and she tried to glamorize it as much as possible but that was a difficult task. She asked about his life after high school, and he told her Maddie had entered his life and it had just been him and her the last 4 years. He didn't go into a lot of detail, and Quinn didn't push.

Sam liked how well Quinn got along with Maddie and Maddie idolized Quinn. Quinn enjoyed Sam's company and wanted to get to know Maddie better. They all had an enjoyable time at the coffee shop and after that began meeting up to do other things, such as taking Maddie to animated movies and the children's museum, watching McKinley's football games, visiting Quinn at her office, even grocery shopping together. One day, Quinn told them she had somewhere special to take Maddie.

She drove, and they wound up at Color Me Mine.

"I'm surprised this place is still open," Sam said.

"Do you remember…?" Quinn asked him.

He looked at her funny. "Of course I remember."

Since Maddie loved to finger paint, Quinn thought she might enjoy Color Me Mine. Quinn had called ahead to find out if there were kids' activities available, and there were things for kids to create.

It turned out that Maddie loved it there and created four coasters for her dad. Working with paintbrushes was a little daunting, but she picked up on it quickly and made four very unique coasters.

Later that evening, while Sam and Maddie were in their apartment and he was folding clothes and she was watching cartoons, he struck up a conversation with her.

"Madeline, did you have fun today?"

"Oh, very much fun daddy! Quinn is the best!"

"She's pretty neat, isn't she? I had something to ask you…something about Quinn," he said, muting the TV.

Maddie came over to him, picking up her socks and trying to match them.

"I thought about asking Quinn to go on a real date with me…a grownups-only date. Maybe take her to dinner and a movie…"

"Like, not with me?" she asked.

His heart broke a little.

"Well, you'd be having a sleepover with Bailey…that'd be lots of fun," he said, trying to sound convincing.

She stood there, pondering this idea. "Can I take my computer?"

He had given her a toy laptop when they moved to Lima. "Sure, of course you can. And Billy too…"

Billy was her stuffed animal cat.

Her face lit up. "Bailey will love Billy!" She laughed. "Bailey and Billy! Billy and Bailey!"

Her singsong voice sounded so pretty to him, so girly. Sometimes, he'd look at her and be amazed that he had helped create such a wonderful creature.

She ran to her room to pack a suitcase. "When are you taking me and Billy to Bailey's, daddy?" she called from her room.

"Soon, Maddie…" he replied and smiled. He loved being a father.

_xxxxx_

"So, you're a daddy. It suits you well, Samuel," Quinn purred over her meal at Breadstix. He had sent her flowers to her office, the card asking her to call him at the school. She did, and he asked her to dinner. She pretended to check her schedule, even went so far as to put him on hold while she squealed quietly, then answered him calmly that she'd love to go to dinner with him. Now, at the restaurant and after the requisite small talk, she pursued a topic that had intrigued her since Sam Evans returned to town…his fatherhood.

"Thank you, Quinn. I love being a dad. I kinda fell into the role, though…" he chuckled a little.

"How did little Maddie come about then? You never mention her mother," Quinn asked him directly. Over the past few weeks, they had grown closer and were now more like friends than acquaintances.

"Mainly because she walked out of Maddie's life and has not once tried to contact her…" he said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Sam…"

"Don't be. Maddie's better off without her, I think. I know that sounds harsh but then I know her mother," he said. He then told the story of how Sennett brought Maddie to him and how he was scared and didn't know what to do.

"I mean, she left me with a 6-week-old _infant_…I was clueless. I called my mom and dad and oh my gosh I'm surprised you didn't hear them yelling from Tennessee!"

"I take it they were upset?"

"More like disappointed and, yeah, upset. Once they laid eyes on Maddie, though, that all faded away."

"So, what did you do?" Quinn asked, totally enthralled now with his story.

"Transferred to a school closer to my parent's home and moved in with them. I had no other choice," he said, sipping his wine. "My mom and Stacey helped me _a lot_ with Madeline when she was a baby."

"You do an awesome job with her now," Quinn told him.

"Well, it's tons easier now, now that she's a little older. I can't believe how smart she is; I guess she gets that from Sennett, not me. She really likes you," Sam said.

Quinn's face lit up. "She does? Well, I like her a lot too."

"Great! Um, I kinda think she needs…a woman…in her life, you know, to do girly things with, someone she can look up to…"

"She looks up to you, Sam, clearly…"

"I mean, a strong woman in her life…someone who's going to be there for her…"

He reached across the table and ran his fingers over her fingers. "I need a woman in my life, too…"

The sound of his voice melted her.

"And…you're asking me to be that woman?"

He nodded slowly. She couldn't hide her smile.

It was nearing Christmastime so after dinner they took a walk in downtown Lima to look at the shop windows and admire the lights and decorations. Sam held her hand as they walked. At one point, she hooked her arm in his. They wound up at the gazebo in Lima's City Park. It was chilly out that night, so he held her close to him, wrapping his coat around them both.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Sam," she whispered into his neck. He shivered from the chills it sent through his body.

"You never answered me, Quinn," he said.

She looked up at him. "I want to be that woman in your life, in Maddie's life…it'd be an honor, Samuel."

He smiled and slowly leaned in to kiss her. When his lips touched hers, it was like they had never been apart. Their mouths melded together like they were made to kiss one another. Quinn worked her arms around his waist under his coat, and he took her face in his hands.

"I really think I'm falling for you, Quinn Fabray," he said quietly, kissing her again.

_And I'm falling hard for you_…she thought, returning his kiss, this time parting her lips a bit, allowing their tongues to touch lightly.

He groaned as he broke the kiss. "I probably need to check in with Maddie and make sure she's doing okay. This is her first sleepover, with Bailey Hudson."

Quinn smiled, thinking of the two little girls together. Sam took her hand and they began walking toward his car. Once inside the car and warmed up, Sam called the Hudsons and got the okay from Finn. Bailey and Maddie were already out like lights.

He drove Quinn to her house and pulled into the drive.

"Thank you again, Sam, it was fabulous…" she said, hooking her bag over her arm and getting ready to leave his car.

"Quinn…" he said and paused. She stopped. "I don't want to come across as too forward but you're welcome to come over to my place, if you'd like to. We could watch a movie, pop some corn, cuddle…"

She put her seatbelt back on. "I'd love to…"

They wound up going to his apartment and true to his word they popped corn, found a movie, and cuddled up together on the couch. There was a little more kissing, a little more cuddling under the blanket they were under. He offered her one of his t-shirts and a pair of shorts to wear but she said the shirt was fine so he put on the shorts and they crawled into his bed and cuddled some more before finally falling asleep. Sex would come later…that night was more about the cuddling and reveling in their new status as 'boyfriend/girlfriend'.

When he woke up the next morning, holding a sleeping Quinn in his arms, he was pretty sure he knew then how he wanted to wake up every other day for the rest of his life. Her petite warm body was curled into his, and she was snoring lightly. Her blonde hair was messy, and her legs were tangled up with his. He kissed her awake, and she smiled and stretched and turned to face him, hugging him.

"Was last night a dream?" she asked quietly.

"In some ways, yes, but we're really here, really together," he answered.

She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. "This is real…" She leaned in and kissed him again.__

**_To be continued…_**


	4. Quinn Comes Home

_**QUINN COMES HOME ~ A FABREVANS PROPOSAL**_

Sam, Maddie, and Quinn began spending a lot time together, quality time. More and more, Sam let Quinn babysit Maddie when he had extra practices for the football team, then it finally just became common knowledge that Maddie would stay at Quinn's or Quinn would stay at the apartment to watch her.

Over spring break, Sam asked Quinn to accompany him to Tennessee to visit his parents. Maddie had met Quinn's mom a number of times, and Judy Fabray enjoyed spending time with her and Quinn. Judy had met Sam a few times when he'd pick up Maddie, and, after initially being cold toward him, she finally warmed up, especially as she got to know Maddie better and saw for herself what a good father he was.

Quinn cleared her schedule at work for the week of spring break, closing on three houses the week before. The increase in work made her feel productive and more optimistic for the future of her career. Her mother had warned her that the real estate business was sometimes considered 'feast or famine', meaning a lot of work to do or no work to do. Quinn had been battling the famine part for some time now and was thrilled to be productive at work again.

Plus, her relationship with Sam was definitely a perk she hadn't expected. Things were quite a bit different from when they were in high school. A lot of times, adult decisions were made and Sam always put Maddie first. There were no late nights, Quinn didn't sleep over, and hardly any TV allowed (Sam encouraged Maddie to read). Thankfully, Finn and Rachel became close friends to Sam and Maddie since they had a lot in common so instead of parties or going to a club, it was usually family time either at Finn and Rachel's or Sam's.

The first Saturday of spring break, Sam loaded his car with his and Maddie's luggage, then drove to Quinn's and loaded up her stuff. The drive was going to take about 8 hours so they had Maddie's portable DVD player and headphones for her and Sam and Quinn talked nearly the entire time. Sometimes, a good song would come on the radio and Quinn would turn it up and they'd sing along, making Maddie giggle in the back seat.

At his parent's house, Quinn was welcomed warmly by the Evans' family. They were ecstatic to see Sam and Maddie and Stacey even remembered Quinn from when Quinn babysat her and Stevie in high school. Stacey and Stevie were now in middle school, and Quinn was shocked to see how they had grown. It was decided that Quinn would sleep in Stacey's room with Stacey and Maddie camping out in sleeping bags and Sam would bunk in Stevie's room.

The week flew by. Quinn was floored by the Evans' Southern hospitality. Her last memory of Sam's parents was of them being under a lot of stress due to the homeless situation. Now, though, they were back on their feet, happy, and seemingly enjoying their time in Tennessee.

Unfortunately, Maddie threw her first real temper tantrum in front of Quinn and Quinn was thoroughly unprepared for the outburst. Not only was Maddie screaming and crying, but she also had thrown her entire self onto the floor and was pounding the floor with her clenched up fists and kicking, all because Sam told her it was time for bed and she wanted to stay up and continue playing with Stacey. Quinn was more than a little shocked at Maddie's sudden change in behavior. Later, when Sam finally had her calmed down and tucked into her sleeping bag, he explained to Quinn that she was just tired and cranky. He also said it was rare that she acted out like that but it happened. Quinn wondered how she'd handle Maddie if that ever happened when she was watching her.

Sam took Quinn out on his parent's deck that night, and they sat looking up at the night sky.

"Sam? What should I do if Maddie ever behaves that way when it's just me?" she asked him.

"Well, first of all, there is no reasoning with a 4-year-old. You're the boss, that's final. Don't give in to her. I try to talk to her and explain what I want. So far, I've never had to spank her, thank God, that would just kill me. I suppose, though, if it needed to be done, I'd do it. Tonight, I knew she was exhausted, and she was fighting sleep that's why I told her it was bedtime. Her exhaustion won out, thankfully. Kids, though, you kind of never know what to expect with them. Sometimes it's just trial and error to find out what works. I told her if she got some beauty sleep tonight that we'd take her to the zoo tomorrow…I tend to bribe a lot," he laughed.

She laughed along with him. "Well, don't be mad if you come home from football practice some night and I've promised her jewelry or a car or something!"

"Come here, you!" he said, reaching out to her. She stood up and went to curl up on his lap.

He nipped at her ear and nuzzled her neck. "You know, I've been thinking…"

Her eyes were closed, enjoying his touch and being close to him.

"I've been thinking of what a great friend you've been to me…even in high school. Did I ever tell you how proud I was of you when you graduated right after me? I was! You were smiling, just glowing that day, so happy…like you had finally conquered all your struggles and had seen the light," he told her.

She wrapped an arm around his neck, leaning her head next to his. "No, you never told me that. That was a great day."

He chuckled. "Remember Artie? Drinking so much and rolling into the Hudson's pool? And Puck diving in to save him? Oh, the memories!"

Quinn laughed. She remembered it, how she and all the other girls had screamed but Artie was cackling when Puck fireman-carried him out of the pool. It wasn't too funny, though, when Artie had to tell his parents and they had to buy a new wheelchair for him.

She snuggled against him, enjoying the closeness to him. His hand was on her thigh rubbing up and down and it felt so right to kiss him deeply. Her fingers tickled the nape of his neck. She sucked at his lower lip, pulling away from him with a groan and whispered, "Oh Sam Evans, I think I'm falling in love with you…"

He gazed at her, caressing her cheek. "I wish we could find somewhere to be alone…"

Intimacy had never really been discussed between them. With Maddie around, they barely had time to hold hands. The few occasions she caught them kissing had been awkward for them but she had giggled then took her Barbie and Ken dolls and made them kiss 'like daddy and Quinn'. Since Maddie had appeared in his life, Sam had had very little time for dating, with school and living with his parents and raising an infant. There had been a couple women but nothing serious had come of those relationships. Quinn had, of course, dated a few men, mainly men she met through work contacts, and a couple men she had finally felt close enough to be intimate with but then things fizzled between them and she was back to being single. Now, with things progressing in their relationship, sex was on both of their minds but neither one of them really knew how to broach the subject.

"I wish we could be alone too…" she answered.

He began kissing her again, pulling her closer to him. Again, he was rubbing her thigh, moving his hand precariously close to between her legs, and he suddenly wanted her to feel his erection in some manner. He moved his hand to her hip and pressed her against it.

"Can you feel me?" he whispered into her neck.

His breath on her skin was hot, his lips barely touching her.

She nodded. She could feel him, pushing against her. She wanted to reach between them and truly feel him but knew it was not the right place to do so.

She leaned up from him and cleared her throat. "I probably should be getting upstairs, Sam."

He kissed her softly and bid her goodnight. He sat there for a few minutes, willing the erection to go away, then went upstairs himself and took a cold shower, the first one he had taken since dating her in high school.

They had fun at the zoo the next day, and Maddie behaved in her usual manner, no blow-ups. The week came to end all too soon, and Sam, Maddie, and Quinn were on the road back to Lima.

They fell into their usual routines of school and work. Now that football was over, Sam assisted Coach Beiste with the baseball team so he had that practice after school plus games. Life was busy but fun for the three of them. It was after their talk on the deck at his parent's house that Sam seriously started considering asking Quinn to be Maddie's mom.

He had no doubt that she'd be a terrific mom to his daughter. He could tell they loved each other in the way they interacted, even when they weren't interacting. He felt that Quinn had taken to Maddie as if Maddie was her own child and nothing pleased him more than seeing Maddie happy.

Quinn was picking up vibes from Sam also in the way she'd catch him looking at her, especially if she was playing with Maddie. She wondered if soon he might ask her to maybe move in with them since it would make things so much easier with caring for Maddie instead of taking her to Quinn's house or Quinn watching her there. If they all lived under the same roof, life would be a bit easier.

One day, though, toward the end of the school year, Quinn was watching Maddie at her house when Maddie found Quinn's stash of nail polishes. Maddie had noticed Quinn's nails in the past but had never expressed the desire to have her nails painted. That day, upon finding jars and jars of all the colorful polishes, Maddie _demanded_ that Quinn paint her nails. She brought a jar of purple to Quinn.

"Quinn, I want my nails to look like yours…purple!" Maddie said happily.

At first, Quinn was flattered but then she wasn't sure how Sam would feel about his 4-year-old little girl coming home with purple nails.

"We'll have to ask daddy first, Maddie. I'm sorry," Quinn said apologetically, putting her hand out for the bottle.

"_NO!_ I want them purple!" Maddie screamed. She threw the bottle of polish onto the hardwood floor in the kitchen between them, and it shattered.

They both stood there, shocked, with tiny shards of glass and bright purple nail polish in a puddle. Then, they both looked at each other, still shocked. Then, Maddie's face crumbled and she ran from Quinn. Quinn looked back at the purple nail polish mess and ran after Maddie, finding her face down, screaming, in the family room.

"Maddie…" Quinn started.

"See what you made me do?" Maddie cried. "I just wanted purple on my fingers like _you_!"

Quinn knelt down next to Maddie and began stroking her back.

"Don't touch me!"

Quinn stopped and said firmly, "Madeline Cherie…sit up and look at me."

Hearing Quinn use her full name made Maddie pause and look over at her. She sat up slowly, still huffing but not screaming.

"I have a mess to clean up now. While I'm busy doing that, Maddie, you are in time-out. I want you to think about what you said and what you did and then we'll talk," Quinn said, standing up and offering Maddie her hand. Maddie acquiesced, reaching for Quinn's hand, and followed her to the corner of the room where Quinn had her stand. Quinn didn't know what else to do.

She went back to the kitchen and tried to sop up what nail polish she could with paper towels and tried not to spread it across the floor. There was still a purple stain there. She let it dry, then swept up the glass. She got her nail polish remover and put it on cotton balls and tried to remove the polish that way, which worked until she realized she was also stripping the wood with it. She sighed, on her hands and knees, wondering how she could ever be a parent. Maddie was being quiet so she went to check on her. She found her curled up in the corner on her side, asleep, sucking her thumb. She saw how it was so easy to give in to her because her heart melted upon seeing the little girl.

_Don't give in Quinn_ she thought to herself, going over to Maddie.

She stooped down and picked up the sleeping child and put her on a couch, covering her with an afghan. They'd talk when she woke up. Quinn sat nearby, reading, keeping an eye on Maddie.

When Maddie's finally opened, she smiled upon seeing Quinn, then remembered the earlier events and scowled.

"Maddie, have you thought about what happened earlier?"

"Yes."

"And, do you think that was the right thing to do?"

"No." Maddie's answers were terse.

"Why not?"

"I shouldn't have thrown the nail stuff down," she said, looking down at her lap.

"Right. When you're daddy isn't here and I tell you 'no' it's because we need to check with him first…"

"You're not my mommy!" Maddie said suddenly.

"No, I'm not. But, your daddy trusts me with you. Some things are for your daddy to decide, like painting your nails, and just like you I have to do what your daddy says. Do you think he'll be upset about this?"

"You're gonna tell him?" Maddie looked terrified about that prospect.

Quinn nodded. "I have to, Maddie. C'mere…"

Quinn led her to the kitchen and showed her the stain where the wood floor had been ruined.

"I can't keep secrets from your daddy. He'll probably be unhappy about this," Quinn said.

"I'm sorry, Quinn. I didn't mean to be so mean," Maddie said quietly, the words Quinn had been waiting on. Quinn picked her up and hugged her close.

"Maddie, I know it was an accident; I get mad too. I don't like making you stand in a corner but I'll keep doing it if you keep acting this way. Okay?" Quinn asked her, trying to keep her tone soft and friendly.

"Okay. Can I color now?"

"Yes, you may," Quinn said, setting her down.

The rest of their day went well until Sam arrived to pick her up.

Quinn held Maddie's hand and asked her if there was something she needed to tell Sam. Maddie looked down at her feet.

"I dropped a bottle of nail paint," she whispered. "I said I was sorry."

"What happened? Quinn?"

"Maddie asked me if I could paint her fingernails purple and I said we needed to check with you first and she threw the bottle down," Quinn told him, stopping short of exactly where the bottle landed and broke.

"Maddie? Is that how you were taught to behave? Quinn is the boss when I'm not here. That was a very good idea Quinn had, about asking me first, because I would've said no. I'm pretty disappointed in you," he said quietly.

Maddie pouted for awhile but forgot about it quickly.

The next time Quinn had to reprimand her, again because Quinn had to tell her no, happened soon after the nail polish incident, then began happening often, nearly every time Quinn was in charge of her.

Sam picked up on the tension even though he was rarely present when it was happening. He noticed Maddie's attitude toward Quinn had changed, whereas she used to love to spend time with Quinn now suddenly she wanted to be at the Hudson's house instead.

Finally, he sat Maddie down to talk to her about Quinn.

"Madeline, how do you feel about Quinn?" he asked her.

Maddie shrugged. "She's okay, I guess."

"You seem to not want to spend time with her anymore. Wanna tell me why?"

"She just has all these rules and says _we need to ask daddy _and she spends so much time with you now…" Maddie told him.

"Does it upset you that I spend time with Quinn?" he asked.

She pouted. "Maybe, a little."

He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"You will always be my number one girl, you know that Madeline. But, I need to tell you a secret…there's room in my heart for _two _girls…my all-time favorite little girl and my best friend. I really like Quinn…actually, I love her, very much…and I know that deep down you really like her too. I want to ask Quinn to marry me soon but I need to know how you feel about that," he explained to her.

Maddie pondered this. "So, you mean, Quinn will be like my mommy?"

"She'll be like your new mommy. If she says _yes_, that is." He laughed at his own joke.

"And she'll be with us for always? And you won't forget about me?"

"Oh Maddie! I could never forget about you! What it means is you'll be loved twice as much as you are now. Don't say anything to Quinn about what I told you…I want it to be a surprise for her. Do you promise not to tell?"

She smiled. "I promise daddy!" She hugged him. "I want Quinn to be my mommy!"

"Can you promise me something else, sweetie? Promise me you'll be a good girl for Quinn?"

"Yes, daddy, I promise!"

_xxxxx_

The next few weeks went smoothly for Quinn and Maddie. Even though Sam was off for the summer, he still spent a couple days a week at the school with Coach Beiste going over ideas for next year's football team and then training camp would be starting soon. He also had been doing some research about Lima without Quinn knowing and finally found something that was nearly perfect he thought. He called her office from school one day.

"Fabray Real Estate. This is Quinn Fabray. How may I help you?" she said, smiling while answering the phone.

"I was wondering if you could show me a property this afternoon?" a male voice asked. Her first thought was _Sam? _but she didn't recognize the phone number on caller ID.

"Sure. Did you have a specific property in mind?"

"610 Melody Lane…"

"Just a moment please…" She looked up the property on her computer and saw that it was empty with no other showings scheduled.

"Is 3 o'clock okay?" she asked.

"I'll be there," he said and hung up.

_That was so odd…I could've sworn that was Sam Evans_, she thought, scheduling the showing of the property for 3 o'clock that day.

She glanced over the details of the house and recalled it being a house she adored. She couldn't believe it when it went on the market. She had walked a few people through it but it never suited them. She loved it more and more each time she went through it. It was a white Cape Cod style home with dark green shutters and had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a formal living room, a family room, a dining room, a large kitchen, a finished basement, and even attached mother-in-law quarters. There was a 2-car attached garage and large fenced-in backyard. The street was a quiet cul-de-sac and the few nearby homes were similar. The lots were all oversized, either double or even triple lots. This house sat on the curve of the cul-de-sac and had a triple lot. There were woods at the property line and pretty flowering trees scattered around the property. She also knew that the previous owners had done a lot of upgrades to the home to get it to sell but even that hadn't helped it.

Quinn considered calling Sam and having him meet her there since she didn't particularly care for meeting a stranger alone at an empty house. Instead, she called her mother and told her to have her cell phone on and handy and gave her the details of where she was going. Quinn put her cell phone in her pocket with her mother's number dialed in and ready to be called if Quinn hit the green button. She put together the information on the house for the gentleman, then headed that way.

_xxxxx_

She pulled into the drive, no one else was there, and kept her doors locked and the air conditioning on. She was checking her phone for messages when there was a tap on her window, which nearly scared her to death.

She looked up and saw Sam Evans smiling in at her. She rolled down her window.

"Was that you Sam? On the phone?" she asked.

"Indeed, it was. I like to call this a _working date_," he said, still smiling, and letting her open her car door.

"A working date, eh? So you're interested in this house?"

"I am, as a matter fact. I thought it looked perfect for me and Maddie and we're ready to ditch that apartment. Our lease is about up," he told her.

"Well, then, let me show you this house. I think you'll love it," she said, her heart fluttering. _How could he know that this is the house I love?_ she thought, leading him to the front door. She handed him the sheet of information about the house, all the technical specifications and recent upgrades, neighborhood and school district information.

They walked through the home, Quinn pointing out her favorite aspects of it. He knew by the way she described the home to him that she loved it. He asked all of the requisite questions that any prospective homebuyer would ask until they reached the kitchen, ending the tour.

They talked for a bit in the kitchen, mainly about how their days had gone, how Maddie had behaved.

"I think she would really like this house. Why didn't you bring her?" Quinn asked him.

"I just wanted it to be us two, I guess…"

She smiled. "Well, if you don't have any more questions, then…" She began to walk out of the kitchen to the formal living room.

"Actually, I do have one other question, Quinn," he said from behind her. He grabbed her hand and turned her around to face him.

"I want you to be my wife. I want you to be Maddie's mother. You are my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you now. I can see how you love Maddie in all you do with her, how you talk to her, how you look at her…_you_ are her mother, Quinn. And I hope you say yes because I want this house to always have good memories attached to it. Please say yes, Quinn, I love you to the depths of my soul…you're all I've ever wanted and all I'll ever want. You belong in Maddie's life, in my life…"

At this point, tears were falling down Quinn's cheeks as she held both his hands in hers.

"What's the question?" she asked, smiling through her tears.

A look of shook crossed his face, his lips forming an O, his eyes opening wide.

He dropped to one knee, still looking up at her.

"Quinn Fabray, will you marry me?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I will, Sam Evans!" she answered, falling into his arms when he stood up.

He squeezed her tight. "I'm so glad you said yes, Quinn…you've made me so happy."

"What'd you mean about hoping I said yes and happy memories in this house?" she asked, playing clueless.

"You love this house, I could tell. I'd love for us to live here, to begin our lives together here…"

She hugged him again, squealing. "Sam, you are perfect, a perfect man!"

He chuckled. "Well, maybe the perfect man for you. I'd like to take you out to dinner, to celebrate. I've already talked to your mom and she's watching Maddie for us. What sounds good?"

She curled into him, playing with the buttons on his shirt.

"How about that neat little bistro downtown? Main Street Bistro? And, can we bring Maddie? I'd like for her to celebrate with us…she's a big part of this family," Quinn said.

He touched the tip of her nose. "You, you are perfect. And you'll be Mrs. Samuel Evans, mom of Maddie Evans. Yes, we can pick up the Madster. You have work to do tonight, too…"

"I do?"

"Filling out my offer for this house," he said, kissing her.

"Oh! May I wait until morning, sir? I have plans this evening," she said, giggling.

They walked through the house, turning out lights and locking the front door.

"I think I can wait until morning, Miss Fabray," he replied.

They picked up Maddie and told her they were going out somewhere special to celebrate.

"What does that mean, celebate?" Maddie asked them. Sam and Quinn laughed; Maddie pronounced it as 'celibate'.

"Celeb_r_ate, Madeline…like we do on your birthday. We talk about how happy we are now and for the future and thank God for those who we are blessed to have in our lives," Sam explained.

"Do we get to sing when we celebate?"

"Well, not tonight, we'll just smile a lot and be thankful," he said, chuckling.

At the bistro, once they were seated, they told Maddie the news.

"Maddie," Quinn started, taking the little girl's hand. "I love your daddy a lot and I love you a lot too. Your daddy asked me something today and I've said yes."

Maddie's face lit up. "You're gonna be my mommy?"

Quinn nodded and smiled. Maddie hopped out of her seat to hug Quinn. Quinn looked over at Sam and tears in his eyes. Maddie went to him next.

"Is it true, daddy? Quinn will be my mommy?"

"It's very true, Maddie. She'll be living with us in our new home," Sam told her.

Maddie was over the moon…a new mom and a new house, all in one night. She returned to her seat.

"Let's celebate!" she said, smiling.


	5. Samuel Comes Home

_**SAMUEL COMES HOME ~ A FABREVANS BABY**_

_**M-rated  
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Quinn's suspicions were confirmed. In her hand, she held a white plastic stick with two plus signs on one end. She looked up in the mirror and smiled, then called for Sam.

Sam was downstairs, helping Maddie with her kindergarten homework. She was nearing the end of her kindergarten year and the homework was getting a little hairy. They had been in their new home for the past 2 months; they moved in the week they got married. Sam and Quinn had been married over spring break because Sam said that was when he first realized he wanted to marry her. They had had a simple ceremony at the courthouse in the judge's chambers with only Maddie, Judy Fabray, Sam's parents and siblings in attendance. They then went out to dinner at Breadstix for their reception, and Sam's family took Maddie to their hotel rooms for the night.

"Samuel!" Quinn called from upstairs.

Sam looked at Maddie. "Mom needs me. You work on this worksheet, and I'll be right back, Maddie C," Sam told her.

Sam ran upstairs and checked their bedroom first but didn't see Quinn.

"Quinn?" he called for her.

"In here, Sam," she said from the bathroom.

Confused, he wandered in there and was immediately caught in a hug.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, unsure.

"Mhmm, fine, just fine…you're going to be a daddy _again_!" she said excitedly, unable to contain her happiness. "I had the signs…no period, tired, sore boobs, and then I got sick the past couple days…oh, the nausea…"

Sam was speechless. He was going to be a father again. Maddie was going to be a sister. He kissed Quinn. Quinn was going to be a mother, the mother of his child.

_xxxxx_

Sam and Quinn returned to the family room where Maddie was busy working on an addition worksheet.

"Look daddy! It said color all the 4's red, all the 3's green, and all the 5's brown. Look what I colored!" she said, holding a picture of a well-colored apple tree. "Did I do it right, mommy?"

Quinn took it from her, showing it to Sam. "You did very well, Madeline. Perfect, in fact," Quinn told her.

"Hey Maddie, can your mom and I talk to you for a moment?" Sam asked, picking her and sitting her on his knee. He realized that someday soon she'd be too big for cuddling so he cuddled her whenever possible.

"Your fingernails look very pretty today," he started, picking up her tiny hand in his, examining her pale pink nails. When she had turned 5, he finally gave in and let Quinn paint them but only conservative shades. Quinn sat down next to them.

"Thank you, daddy," she said sweetly.

"We have very good news, Maddie," Quinn said. Sam reached for Quinn's hand.

"You are going to be a big sister, Madeline," he said to her.

"A big sister? Am I going to have a brother or a sister? 'Cause I'd really like to have a sister," she said, smiling, looking from Sam to Quinn.

"Quinn is going to have a baby, but we don't know if it's a girl or boy yet," Sam said.

Maddie squealed and clapped her hands.

"Wait. Do I have to share my room?" she asked hurriedly.

Sam and Quinn laughed. "Only if you want to," they told her.

_xxxxx_

The doctor confirmed the pregnancy and found that Quinn was due on December 20. When Sam and Quinn checked the calendar later they realized they were having a 'honeymoon baby', a baby conceived on their honeymoon. They both said they couldn't be happier, "except for when I'm barfing," Quinn amended.

When Sam went on summer vacation, he began working on the nursery. They already had one of their bedrooms to use as a guestroom and one was Maddie's room so the smallest bedroom that they had been using as an office and basically a catch-all room was being converted to a nursery.

In a way, Sam was glad that he and Quinn were sharing this 'preparing for baby' experience together. With Maddie, she had just been handed to him by her birth mother; he had no idea she existed beforehand. This time around, Sam got to participate in everything: the morning sickness, telling their parents, talking to Maddie about having a sibling, going to doctor appointments, watching Quinn's belly grow.

Quinn was thrilled, as well. She hadn't really expected to get pregnant so soon, but they had talked about it before getting married and decided if it happened, it happened. Thinking back to their wedding night, though, she should've known it would happen...for her, that night was magical.

Their wedding night was their first time together. The months preceding the wedding they had been busy with planning for the new house, school, and work. There was just no time to be alone, as much as they both wanted to be. There were nights where they'd put Maddie to bed, then watch a movie on the couch and wind up making out but both felt it would be out of place to the deed with Maddie asleep down the hall. One night was a particularly heated session, with Sam on top of Quinn, his pants undone and grinding against her, her skirt pushed up to her hips, his mouth on her exposed breast, when he whispered he was at the point of no return. She reached between them and moved his cock out of his briefs and jerked him off over her. He came on her bare belly that night, then kissed her and told her he wished it could've happened inside her. She took his hand and moved it between her legs. She was tingling there and his touch nearly set her off. He worked her panties down and off, wanting to see her. She had kept herself in shape after high school and was only embarrassed by the faint stretch marks on her belly, something he never mentioned. When he saw her naked in front of him, he couldn't help himself and devoured her, kissing her clit gently at first, then sucking her. Her hips bucked up to his eager mouth...she couldn't stop herself either. He slid two fingers inside her and found her g-spot. She orgasmed for a full minute before she finally stopped shaking.

After that happened, on the living room couch in Sam's small apartment, they decided they needed to be more careful, especially if Maddie was nearby. So, until they walked into that bed and breakfast the night they got married, they had done no more than kiss. Each other's touch was electric that day, both knowing what was to come that evening. To say it had been building up and was about to spill over was an understatement. They barely made it to their room before he had clutched her and was kissing her. They pushed the door open, still clinging to one another, and Sam pushed the door shut with his foot. They stripped each other down quickly, leaving a trail of wedding clothes from the door to the bed. The back of Quinn's legs hit the bed and she scooted onto the mattress, still kissing Sam, letting him climb on top of her.

"I love you so much, Mrs. Evans," he whispered, rubbing his penis against her center, then slid into her easily. She gasped and arched her back, feeling him enter her. She closed her eyes and got lost in the pleasure, the pleasure of finally being with him, now as man and wife. She touched him everywhere she could, his toned arms and belly, touched his nipples, grabbed his hips then gripped his ass as he thrust in and out of her, making the bed squeak. He leaned up at one point and she marveled at his abs, still much like they were in high school. She eyed his belly button and the trail of brown hair going down to where they were joined together. He ran his fingers over her breast, then leaned down to kiss her there. She arched her back again and came hard against him. He felt her lose control, the rhythmic clenching of her vaginal walls around his cock, and he tried to hold on for just a little longer, to make the feeling last for both of them as long as possible but when she moaned his name and ran her hands through his hair he came undone, feeling his cock jerk inside her several times.

Quinn would never know if it was the very first time that got her pregnant, or the second time later that night when she straddled Sam, or when they woke up the next morning and just melded together, no words spoken between them, just love.

Now, her days were filled with spending time with Sam and Maddie, work, and preparing for their new addition. It had been almost eight years since she had been pregnant with Beth and some of it was coming back to her, some of it she didn't remember happening. She loved how Sam was in awe nearly every day of her growing figure. Once she started to show, he couldn't keep her hands off her belly. He confessed to her that he was so proud, proud of her and proud to be her husband and a new father. He told her he was proud of Maddie too. She had adjusted well to the news that they were getting married, then moving, and now a new baby. He told her that his life could not get much better.

Then, he felt the baby kick. He was shocked by it. They had been sitting in bed, reading before going to sleep, and he had been caressing her tummy. There was a bump under his hand, and he looked over at Quinn. Then, another bump and another bump. He kissed her belly, then kissed her, telling her he felt the closest to her then that he ever had. He was nervous about it, with her being pregnant and all, but he made love to her that night, slowly and carefully.

They couldn't decide on whether to find out the sex of the baby when Quinn had her ultrasound halfway through the pregnancy. Maddie wanted to know, Quinn wanted to know, but Sam wanted it to be a surprise. They argued about this daily, each pleading their case, and finally Sam conceded to the ladies in his life and said _let's find out!_

On the day of the ultrasound, Quinn was nervous and pacing the house. She had a full bladder so that wasn't helping matters. She really just wanted the doctor to tell her the baby looked healthy, it could be a girl or a boy and she'd be ecstatic. Sam had told her the same thing...he just wanted to know his baby was healthy.

They went to Quinn's appointment and waited for her to get situated in the ultrasound room. She was ready to get it started so she could go pee. When the technician squirted the gel on her belly, Maddie squealed and Quinn cringed, knowing that wand was going to be pressed on her bladder.

On the screen, the profile of the baby appeared. Sam was holding Maddie on his hip and the room was silent. Sam reached for Quinn's hand.

"Daddy? Daddy? Why are you crying? Daddy?" Maddie asked him quietly. "Is that our baby?"

He smiled at that. "Yep, that's your sister or brother, Madeline…"

The doctor took measurements and pictures of the baby. Madeline giggled when the tiny foot appeared on the screen. Quinn was relieved to see the fluttering heart. And Sam, Sam was the proudest man on the planet when the doctor announced he was having a son.

_xxxxx_

From that point on until the day of delivery, the topic of names was discussed daily between all three of them plus their extended family and friends. Usually, Maddie suggested names of boys at her school; Sam and Quinn were undecided about such an important task. They took into consideration everyone's suggestions but decided to leave the name as a surprise.

And, now that they knew it was a boy, the nursery was decked out in Sam's favorite…stars. They painted the walls a sky blue and stuck glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Quinn found wall decorations that were peel-and-stick of the solar system that she put Sam in charge of sticking on the walls. She found crib bedding with the stars and planets covering it and even a solar system mobile. The new baby's room was turning into an awesome nursery.

Through all the planning for new baby Evans, Sam and Quinn made sure to include Maddie in nearly every step. She helped pick the paint color, some of the toys, some of the clothes, and she even found curtains with stars on them that Quinn fell in love with. The stars on those even glowed in the dark. Maddie chose a name that Sam and Quinn decided to use for the baby's middle name, and every day Maddie talked to Quinn's baby bump and felt baby kick. Sam and Quinn made a very big deal out of Maddie's sixth birthday. They also checked out books from the library for Maddie about becoming a sibling and either Sam or Quinn would sit with her nightly reading about having a new baby in the house. Maddie took her new title as _big sister_ very seriously and was very excited to have a baby brother.

School started up again and again their lives were busy with first grade homework, football practice and games, and Quinn with her work. The closer it got to December, though, the more fatigued she was getting. Her pregnancy was progressing well and at Thanksgiving she was glowing.

In December, Sam and Quinn attended birthing classes at Quinn's insistence. Sam learned a lot during those, and it refreshed Quinn's memory. They also took care of as much Christmas tasks as early as possible; Quinn planned on having this baby and being home on Christmas Day. Sam reminded her of what the birthing class instructor told them repeatedly: _Be flexible_.

_xxxxx_

December 18 was Maddie's Christmas program at her elementary school. Sam was off on winter break after that, as was Maddie. The baby still had not arrived, and Quinn felt fine, albeit she said she felt huge.

"You are the most beautiful pregnant lady I've ever set eyes on," Sam told her.

"Sam, I'm _waddling_ now," she said, as they made their way to the auditorium to watch Maddie and her classmates perform.

"That is just a pretty pregnant walk…you are radiant, and I mean that," he reassured her.

She looked at him and smiled, knowing he was saying all the right things to make her feel better.

They sat with Judy Fabray and Sam's parents and siblings who were in town for the holidays and hopefully to meet their new grandson. Quinn settled in with her hands on her giant belly, and Sam added his hand to hers for a moment, feeling bumps every now and again.

The first graders came on stage to perform their songs, a selection of holiday tunes plus a little bit of a play. Quinn had helped Maddie choose her outfit, and Sam was so thankful for that. He would've had no clue what to dress Maddie in and would've had a devil of a time trying to control her curls. She was wearing a deep purple satin dress, falling to her ankles, with silver appliqués all about the bodice and all around the hem of the skirt. The bodice was a simple short-sleeved sweetheart neckline. Quinn had curled Maddie's hair into long silky waves and pulled the front and sides back with a pretty pin. When Maddie appeared on stage, Sam started snapping pictures of her while Judy videotaped the performance. He was so proud of his little girl, singing her heart out, doing her little part in the play as a girl asking if Santa was real.

Quinn was also enjoying the show until the tightening in her abdomen, that had been happening for weeks now, intensified somewhat. She knew that as soon as Maddie's performance was over they were leaving to go out to dinner instead of watching the older kids perform so if she could hold on a few more minutes before saying anything to Sam.

Ten minutes later, the first graders left the stage and Quinn had counted six contractions. They were regular and getting stronger.

"You ready to go get Maddie?" Sam asked Quinn. There was a brief intermission for parents to retrieve their kids before the next group went on.

"Um, yeah, I'm ready," she said, standing up awkwardly. He took her elbow, expecting her to walk down the row but she didn't.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She looked at him nervously. "I think my water broke."

It took a moment for that to register with Sam, then he was in action.

"Can you walk? Do you need to sit down? Are you in pain? Are you having contractions? Oh my gosh, the hospital bag is at the house!"

"I can walk…just help me to the car. Maddie can go with our parents. No pain, but yes contractions. Don't worry about the bag," she said, hurriedly, waddling down the row.

Sam looked down expecting to see a puddle but the floor was dry. He caught up with her at the end of the row.

"How do you know your water broke? I didn't see anything," he asked her.

"Something is trickling down my leg…do you see Maddie?"

He held onto Quinn's hand and searched the crowd of parents and kids. He finally saw her blonde hair.

"Found her…" Sam said, pulling Quinn along with him.

When he reached Maddie, he knelt down to be eye level with her.

"Madeline, you did a great job tonight! I got lots of pictures. I need to tell you something though…I need to take mommy to the hospital…the baby is on the way. You'll stay with Gramma and Grampa, okay? They'll take you to dinner and then back to the house. I'll be at the hospital with mommy and when baby is born, I'll call you. Will you be a good girl for mommy and daddy?"

She threw her arms around Sam's neck, and he stood up with her.

"I'll be a good girl, daddy," she whispered.

"Okay, let's find the grandparents," he said.

_xxxxx_

Quinn's brow was sweaty; she was moaning. The fetal heart monitor thumped quietly. Every time a contraction hit, that machine spit out the reading on a small piece of graph paper, delineating the strength of said contraction. Everything that was happening was not what Sam had learned in birthing class, namely the amount of pain Quinn was dealing with. The nurses had given her a shot of something, but Quinn said it was not working very well to control her pain. They had been there at the hospital for a few hours; it was the middle of the night. The doctor had been in to see her when she first arrived. A nurse had checked her cervical dilation and she was 4 centimeters upon arrival. Sam got up to get a cool wet washcloth from the bathroom. He felt to useless sitting next to her while she labored. All he could do was hold her hand and whisper to her that it was going to be okay.

He placed the washcloth on her forehead, and she opened her eyes and found his and smiled at him.

"Thanks Sam…I needed that. It feels so good…" she mumbled.

"You're doing great, Quinn. You'll be past this hard part soon and we'll be holding our son. I know you can do it," Sam said to her. "Do you want me to rub your shoulders? Or your feet? Anything…"

"Shoulders would be nice," she replied, sitting up with a grimace.

He gently touched her shoulders and started rubbing and squeezing them for her. It killed him to hear her grunt and moan in pain, but she was breathing and sometimes even talking herself through them, so he kept working on her shoulders and then began massaging her back.

The hours slipped by. Quinn tried walking, tried rocking on her hands and knees, tried sitting on the birthing ball, even got more drugs but still the pain was nearly intolerable. Sam could see the sun beginning to rise as he rubbed her legs for her. He could barely look at her; she was in misery. The last check by the nurse had shown her to be about 7-1/2 centimeters dilated and completely effaced. It was just up to her body to do its job and that's all she kept thinking through the wicked contractions _my body has a job to do_. It was like her mantra at the end.

A strong contraction hit her, taking her breath away. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably in Sam's hands. He looked up at her, frightened. She was grunting.

"Get the nurse Sam…" she said in a voice not her own.

He hit the call button and asked for a nurse quickly. One came into the room and saw Quinn's condition and the contraction monitor and checked her quickly.

"It's game time people!" the nurse announced smiling. "Fully dilated and fully effaced! Quinn, are you pushing?"

Her face was scrunched up in pain. She nodded vigorously, unable to speak through the contraction.

"I need you to breathe through these contractions…try not to push…remember your breathing?" the nurse asked her. Other nurses had rushed in and started preparing the room for the birth.

Sam was a little unnerved by all the sudden action, but he tried to remain calm for Quinn's sake. It wouldn't help if he suddenly was nervous while she was doing all the work.

Her bed suddenly became a delivery bed, and the nurses moved her legs up to the stirrups. Someone asked her if she wanted to sit up or lie back; she mumbled _sit up _and someone hit a button moving the back of the bed upward.

"Are you hanging in there?" Sam asked her, kissing her cheek. It was all he could think of to say to her.

She nodded, tried to smile. "I'm ready to meet our son," she whispered.

"Me too," he replied, squeezing her hand, not letting go.

The doctor arrived, scrubbed and ready to catch a baby. They gave Quinn the okay to push and did she ever. She sat up and pushed with each contraction, moving the baby closer and closer to being born.

The doctor finally asked Sam if he wanted to see the baby crowning; delivery was very near. He peeked over Quinn's knee with her next contraction and did see an infant's head appear.

"Oh my god…" he whispered to himself. He realized he was holding his breath. He felt a tugging at his hand and he turned back to Quinn.

"Does he have hair?" she asked. Sam nodded.

"Brown hair, Quinn. Keep going…you're almost there, sweetie…" he said, going back to look over her knee.

Quinn knew the hard part was coming, delivering the baby's head. She took a few deep breaths to prepare for it and with the next contraction pushed with all her might. She felt the sting, almost a burn, in her lady area as the baby's head stretched her open. She let out a little scream with the pain but then the pain was gone and she breathed again.

Sam was in a trance, watching his son's head emerge from Quinn. He couldn't recall anything he learned in birthing class about this phase and was just paralyzed with awe. The doctor turned the baby about 90 degrees and Sam suddenly could see his squishy face, eyes closed, and covered with bodily stuff from Quinn.

"Oh my God…" he muttered again.

"One more push, Quinn!" the doctor said to her.

"One more push, one more push, one more push…" Sam could hear Quinn whispering to herself. "Okay, it's coming…"

She bore down, and Sam watched the baby's shoulder slip out, then the entire squirmy body. The doctor held the infant and suctioned his nose and mouth quickly as the nurse clamped the umbilical cord.

"You have a bouncing baby boy, Quinn!" the doctor announced. Quinn was slumped against her pillows smiling. Sam kissed her quickly, then turned when the nurse asked him if he wanted to cut the cord. He looked to Quinn, she nodded, and he took the scissors and cut where the nurse pointed. Their infant was born covered with whitish gunk and was a little blue at first but crying. Sam heard that voice and tears rolled down his cheeks. The nurses warmed the baby up and cleaned him off quickly, wrapped him in a blanket and handed him to Quinn.

"Here you go, mom, a lovely little boy," the nurse said. Quinn took the bundle happily, tears falling from her eyes as well. Sam was next to her, staring at the whimpering infant, holding his hand now.

"You did such a great job, Quinn…God, I'm proud of you," Sam said to her. "And, oh my God, how I love this little boy!"

Quinn looked up at Sam and he didn't hesitate to kiss her fully on the mouth.

The doctor and nurses finished up in Quinn's room, making sure all was well with Quinn and the baby. He was born on December 19 at 7:30 a.m., weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. He had fine brown hair, tiny ears, a little turned up nose, and Sam's lips.

Sam called home at about 9 a.m. and asked to speak with Maddie. She was the first one to know that the baby had arrived. She squealed with delight and dropped the phone to tell the others. Finally, Sam's mother picked up the phone and he gave her the brief details and told them to bring Maddie and visit in a couple hours.

Quinn wasn't sure if she'd be able to breastfeed, but she tried anyway when the baby began crying. The nurses showed her how to latch him onto her breast, and he somehow knew what to do. Sam watched this all happen, happy and exhausted and proud. For a moment, in his exhaustion, he felt a little sad for missing out on all this with Maddie. He also felt angry and cheated by her mother for keeping all that from him. He knew he had to let go of those feelings because he was lucky enough to have had Maddie in his life since she was 6 weeks old and holding onto those angry feelings would just eat away at him. He decided to relish this time with Quinn and his new son.

Sam's family, Judy, and Maddie arrived around noon. Sam and Quinn had had time to rest and were ready for the family's visit to meet the new baby. Sam let Maddie be the first to hold the new baby. She sat down and carefully held him close to her.

"He's so pink!" she exclaimed. "What's his name?"

"Samuel William Evans...do you like it? He looks like a Sammy, doesn't he?" Sam told her.

"I love it! Maddie and Sammy...he'll be my best friend," she said to Sam, smiling.

Sammy cooed in Maddie's arms.

"C'mere Maddie..." Quinn called from her bed.

Sam took the warm bundle from Maddie and stood behind her at Quinn's bedside.

"You can hop up here, Madeline...I need a hug from the big sister!"

Maddie hopped up on the hospital bed and threw her arms around Quinn's neck. Quinn hugged her tightly.

"I sure missed you last night! I'm glad I got to see your Christmas play...you looked like a princess on stage," Quinn told her.

"Thank you, mommy. I missed you too," Maddie said. "When do you get to come home?"

"Soon, in a day or two. Right now, though, I want daddy to hand me Sammy and I want a picture of all four of us..."

Sam handed Quinn the baby and sat down on the bed, pulling Maddie onto his lap. They took pictures with all of them holding Sammy. Sam felt a little like the day he first saw a 6-week-old Madeline. He had held her in his arms, a squirming whimpering tiny baby wearing a pink fuzzy sleeper, and thought _my life will never be the same_.


	6. Watch

_**WATCH**_

**M-rated**

**A/N: Readingtoomuch and I challenged each other to write one-shots using the theme of voyeurism. Mine was from the perspective of Sam knowing he is being watched. No plagiarism involved here! Just fun writing about Sam Evans & Quinn Fabray!**

The heat was blazing that day, making their skin red and hot and sweaty. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn watched a trickle of sweat run down the side of his face, through the 5 o'clock scruff, drip off his chin to his collarbone, and then made its way slowly down his pec stopping at his nipple. It slowly curled around the dark pink areola and continued its trail downward. Another trickle of sweat was making its way down the center of his chest, rippling over his cut abs, pooling in his bellybutton. His tummy was moving slowly up and down with his quiet breathing, the sun picking up hints of blonde in the light brown hair going from his bellybutton down to the waistband of his shorts. His skin was shiny in the hot sun with sweat and pool water. She saw him slowly lick his lips and he groaned a bit in the heat, his eyes closed behind his shades. Her eyes traveled up and down his torso, taking in his arms and chest and abs, all his muscles well defined even at rest. She watched his fingers dangle from the arms of the lounge chair, twitching every now and again. Her eyes passed over his shorts and gazed down from his slim hips, down his long legs, to his feet splayed out at the end of the recliner. The hair on his legs was still wet, a dark brown but with blonde shining through here and there. She saw his thigh muscle clench up and without thinking he scratched at his crotch, dragging her eye to that area.

He was wearing his red boxers. He hadn't planned on swimming when Quinn invited him over but she talked him into it and he had stripped down to his cotton boxer briefs and hopped in. The day was exceedingly hot and a swim sounded perfect. Now, out of the water and sunning, his wet boxers clung to every curve and feature he had below the waist. Quinn couldn't help her staring. The fly of the boxers had opened slightly when he scratched at himself and now she could make out faint hair beneath the tight red fabric. She could tell his dick was off to the right and could even make out the soft curve of his balls, the left one riding higher than the right. She could see the end of his penis under the thin fabric and mentally calculated inches. She tried to telepathically get him to scratch again. Watching him handle himself, seeing his cock move languidly and his balls bounce because of his own hand, was turning her on something fierce.

As if reading her mind, he reached down and scratched himself again. Except this time, it was less of a scratch and more of a purposeful movement of his hand over his bulge. She watched his hand move down over his cock, palm down, then back up slowly. When he moved his hand away, she could tell he was getting bigger. Then, he did it again, with his other hand. His red boxers were tenting up. Quinn knew if he kept doing that his cock would slip out that open slit and he'd be exposed...to her.

Her breath caught in her lungs when she saw his other hand move over himself again, up and down slowly. She could see pink skin beginning to show at his fly. She squirmed on her lounge chair and squeezed her thighs together. He arched his back a bit, and her eyes moved away from his groin and she was pretty sure he looked at her through his shades. Her cheeks were hot, not only from the sun but also from her embarrassment and the ache between her legs. She then saw movement from him and his hand was hovering over a nipple, his other hand palming himself through his briefs. She noticed he bit his lip and when he moved his hand away from his red briefs his pink length was poking out, the head almost protruding from the foreskin.

For a brief moment, she was confused. She had seen penises before but Sam's looked..._different_. When he moved his hand over himself again, he pulled the foreskin back and she realized he was uncircumcised. And with that thought, she gripped her thigh.

_xxxxx_

The head of his cock was becoming fiery as he slowly stroked himself; his penis was getting harder by the second. He had felt her eyes on him, taking in every inch of his body. He had scratched at himself and noticed when he did that she wasn't even trying to hide her staring anymore...she was just out-and-out gawking at him. So, he decided to give her a show. He was proud of his body, not to mention he was already a little turned on by playing with her in the pool. She had a way of teasing him to the brink. When his penis was finally exposed he could tell she was questioning and he thought it was probably because he was uncut so he moved the foreskin back and noticed she gripped her thigh. He wondered if she'd get turned on enough to touch herself.

He moved his fingers up and down himself slowly, allowing her to see what he enjoyed. His grip tightened when moving up and he'd roll the foreskin over his head, pressing on the frenulum underneath, causing intense pleasure to surge through his balls and lower belly. He'd push his head through the skin slowly as he stroked downward. He was so hard now his dick was standing up straight, right through his boxers. He took a break from stroking or else it was going to end soon and he used the index and long fingers of his other hand as a V and rubbed the sides of the head, pushing up and down through his fingers.

_xxxxx_

Quinn couldn't turn her head from what he was doing. She could see every vein in his penis, now engorged, and she stared when he moved the skin up and over, then slowly pushed through it, his ass clenching and unclenching to achieve the motion he needed. His belly was heaving up and down in a controlled fashion, and his hand on his cock was tensed up as were all the muscles in that arm, from his wrist to his shoulder. The sun was beating down on them and when he moved his fingers in a V and pushed his shiny head up and down through them she moved her hand to her bikini bottoms.

He saw the slight movement of her hand slipping inside her bottoms. He knew he wouldn't be so lucky as to actually see her fingering herself but just knowing _she_ was touching herself as a reaction to _him_ touching himself was a huge turn-on, apparently for both of them.

He wrapped his hand around his cock again, knowing her hand was on her pussy. When she saw his hand begin pumping himself again, she allowed her middle finger to touch the swollen bundle of nerves. And she gasped. She moved her finger in circles over her clit, watching him jack off hard next to her.

He heard her gasp and he just _knew_ she had touched her clit. He almost came then but managed to think of Beiste doing gymnastics, which calmed his orgasm momentarily.

His grip tightened and he was moving hard and fast up and down his swollen shaft. Knowing her eyes were on him, her fingers in the wet depths of herself, moved him to the edge. He felt it building and knew he couldn't hold back.

Moaning, he mumbled _watch_ to her. He stopped all his stroking and she saw the white fluid spill over from the opening in the head, then shoot out of him high into the air, splattering down onto his thighs, cock, and belly. His come shot again into the air and he grunted with it. She watched every drop spill from him until it was running down over his fingers and hand and briefs as he very gently rubbed himself.

Through it all, her hand was working furiously on herself. She had drawn her knees up and managed to insert a couple fingers and rub her clit with her thumb. When she saw his come shoot out of him, she came too, her legs trembling, her free hand gripping the arm of the lounge chair, her eyes squeezed shut, her high-pitched whimpering matching Sam's moans.

When she finally opened her eyes and moved her hand out of her bottoms, his hand was still rubbing his length, now soft and mostly covering the head again. She could see the splatters of white here and there about him. He slowly tucked himself back into his boxers and sat there quietly, letting his breathing get back to normal. She sat there quietly too, not sure what to say to him.

Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore.

"You wanna glass of lemonade?" she squeaked out.

"Sure, sounds good," he replied, watching her stand up next to him so that he was at eye level with her pussy.

She turned to go to the kitchen and felt his eyes on her, watching.


	7. Last Kiss

_**Last Kiss**_

**A/N: This one-shot is based on the song Last Kiss by J Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers (oldie) and Pearl Jam also did a cover of it. I suggest you listen to a version of the song to go along with this story. This is a little darker than what I usually write, but I wanted to challenge myself. Also, Sam and Quinn never broke up...as it should have been on the show. Enjoy.**

_Hold me, darlin', just a little while..._

The words resonated with him daily, hourly, nearly every minute it seemed. They were the last thing he heard fall from Quinn's lips before she slipped away from him that night. _That night_, he thought, the night he held her in his arms, her face bloodied, her beautiful hazel eyes gazing up at him. He remembered seeing her lips move, the quiet words slipping from them. He leaned down to her and pressed his lips to hers...one last time. Afterward, her family, his family, their friends all told him he had done all he could, he held her so she wasn't alone when she drifted away from his world. He knew in his heart, though, that he had not done enough. When she died, he died.

_xxxxx_

He called her that night, asking if she would like to go out on a date. His father was letting him borrow his car so he thought maybe she'd like to grab a pop and go for a drive on the late spring evening in May. School was winding down for the year, they had no homework and were looking forward to their summer vacation, the summer before their senior year. They had been dating since singing a duet together for Glee Club. He was pretty sure he had fallen in love with this angel on earth...he was pretty sure that had happened the first time he became entranced by her hazel eyes. He fell into those wondrous eyes and was a goner. Whenever she saw him, in the hallways at school, on the football field, in a classroom, when he picked her up for a date, her smile sent chills through him. She always had a look of genuine happiness on her face when she was with him. Knowing he made her smile like that made him the happiest dude in the world, he was sure of it.

He honked outside her house, and she came running out, wearing black shorts and a red McKinley High t-shirt, her hair in a high ponytail and bouncing all around. She hopped into the car and leaned over to kiss him. Her scent – he thought it was cotton candy – wafted through the car.

"Hello darlin'," he said in his best sexy voice, mimicking Conway Twitty's twang.

She giggled, an angelic sound straight from heaven, he knew it. "Hello darlin'..."

It was one of their shared greetings. One morning, Quinn had come over for breakfast and his parents had been singing the Conway Twitty hit _Hello Darlin'_. All the way to school that morning, they cracked up about it, calling each other _darling_.

They picked up a couple cokes to drink, remarking over the fact that his father had let him borrow his new black Dodge Charger for a little bit. It had been rainy so his father had reminded him to be careful on the slick roads. He was taking it easy, never going over 30 miles per hour. It was hard to keep his eyes off her, though, the tight red t-shirt, the blonde ponytail, the short black cheerleading shorts...

She looked over at him, sipping on her straw, but then smiled the sweetest smile at him and in that one moment- the moment he would never forget - he let his mind wander from driving, from the road, and smiled back at her, his heart full of love.

_xxxxx_

The road he drove down was twisty, heading out into the woods north of Lima, planning to drive to a makeout point at a nearby lake. When he tore his eyes from her and looked back at the road, there in the road, straight ahead, a car was stalled, the engine dead. He couldn't stop, so he swerved to the right. There was no traction on the rain-slickened road; he lost control of the vehicle.

Now, he awoke, sweating, a scream trapped in his throat, reliving those hateful sounds...the crying tires, the busting glass, the painful scream that he heard last, always pulling him out of the nightmare.

He hated the memories; they were killing him. The slide of the car off the road, Quinn's scream, the car flipping over, the feeling of being upside down in a crashing ton of steel...then blackness, the silence. When he opened his eyes, it was all dark and so quiet. He was wet, something cold and wet was falling on him. Rain. He was lying on his back next to the car that had settled on its top. Turning his head slowly, he could make out the headlights still on and a back tire still spinning. He focused on that tire until it stopped. _Quinn._ Where was she? Why couldn't he hear her?

Painfully, he pushed himself up and tried to yell her name. It came out in a raspy whisper. He tried to stand but fell down, realizing his right leg was injured. He began crawling around the car, his voice becoming stronger, calling for her. In the headlights, he saw his hands were bloody as he crawled. His head hurt, his right leg hurt, his ribs hurt...everything hurt. Then, he heard her. A tiny cry just around the upended car. Forgetting his pain, he crawled faster toward her sound.

He stopped when he saw her. Afterward, when the nightmares came, he was always thankful that it was so dark in the woods, that he didn't have to endure seeing her in misery, seeing her broken body, and he hated himself for thinking that. She had been thrown from the car and the car had come to rest on her, trapping her, crushing her, from the waist down.

He mustered all his strength and crawled to her...this was his _Quinn_, the girl he loved, he wasn't going to let her lie there alone.

He didn't know what to say to her except that it was going to be okay. He lifted her head off the cold wet ground and gazed at her. She smiled at him, knowing that he was with her.

_Hold me, darlin', just a little while_...she had whispered to him.

He held her as close he could to his body, trying to keep her warm. The smile never left her lips. He kissed her softly and when he pulled away from her, she was gone.

_xxxxx_

His recovery had been slow. His right leg had been broken in three places, he had a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken wrist. The doctors said it was a miracle that he had survived; both he and Quinn had been thrown from the vehicle, if the car had tipped the other way he would've been crushed. They determined that the stalled car should've been pushed off the road, he wasn't driving too fast, but the combination of slick roads and the dropoff that the car rolled down was fatal. He refused counseling at the hospital; he just wanted it all to go away. He refused to go to Quinn's funeral; he couldn't bear it. It was when he returned home from the hospital, she began visiting him.

The first time he saw her was when he awoke with a start from one of the nightmares. He sat straight up in his bed, rubbing his head, tears spilling down his face, gasping for a breath. He opened his eyes and there she was, standing at the end of his bed, smiling at him.

"Quinn?" he whispered. She was wearing what she had worn _that_ night, the red t-shirt, the black shorts, her hair perfect in a ponytail...no sign of her gruesome injuries.

_I miss you darlin'_ she said and then was gone. He blinked several times, pinched himself. Had she really been there?

Sometimes after the nightmares she'd appear, sometimes not. She'd always be standing at the end of his bed, wearing the same clothes, smiling the same smile. He had reached out for her one night, desperate to touch her again, but his fingers slipped through her and she disappeared. He began to think he was losing his mind.

_xxxxx_

He went through the motions at school, mostly in a daze. Friends and family could tell he was changed, no longer the sweet, laid-back guy he had been before the accident, now a hollow shell of his former self, drifting through each day as if he wasn't really there.

One day, she appeared at school. He yanked open his locker and there she was. In his rational mind, he thought how could she fit in there so perfectly? And then she spoke to him: _It wasn't your fault_. He had been fighting guilt since the night it happened, knowing he should've been paying closer attention to the road.

"Yes, it was, Quinn..." he said quietly to his locker.

_You aren't to blame_ she replied to him. He passed out.

It was then that his parents sought counseling for him. They had realized, along with his teachers, that he wasn't handling his grief well. The counselor tried to get through to him and he tried too...but he couldn't get her out of his mind. He didn't tell the counselor that he had seen her apparition, that she had _spoken_ to him. He knew they'd throw him in the loony bin for sure and he didn't want to be confined. The last time he had seen her, when he was leaving flowers at her grave, she had said the words he had been longing to hear: _Come be with me Sam_.

_xxxxx_

The solution had been so simple; he wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It was just like _Romeo & Juliet_ that Quinn had helped him study during their junior year...they could be together in death. He figured the medicine the counselor had put him on would do the trick...if he took it all at once. There were antidepressants, anti-anxiety pills, sleeping pills, and even pain medicine. He talked Puckerman into buying him a fifth of vodka. Puckerman saw the pain in his eyes and didn't ask questions. Now, he needed to decide where. The accident site was too painful for him to even consider. He ruled out his house because he didn't want to risk the chance of his younger siblings finding him. He knew in his heart where it would have to be, where he felt closest to her now.

His parents thought he was studying at the library. Since his grades had slipped that year, it made perfect sense. He sneaked into the cemetery at sunset before they locked the gates and hid behind a massive tomb. In his backpack, he had all his medications plus the vodka and a shot glass. He had his favorite picture of him and Quinn, taken after their duet at sectionals, and he had written a note, explaining his actions to his parents and Quinn's family. He wondered if he'd see her before he died or just after. He hoped she'd be waiting on him on the other side, smiling and radiant and forever young. The thought of finally being with her again almost made him giddy as he made his way to her gravesite.

He sat down at her headstone and read it: _Quinn Lucy Fabray, Loving Daughter and Friend, 1994-2011_. He ran his fingertips over her name, sighing. He then opened his backpack and set the bottles of medicine on the headstone, pulled out the bottle of vodka and shot glass, took out their picture. He stopped then, staring at it, and kissed it. He then placed the envelope holding his suicide note on her headstone and poured himself a shot. He leaned up against the cold marble slab and swallowed the vodka quickly, almost gagging on it.

"I'll be there soon, darlin'," he whispered into the darkness.

She still had not come. He did a couple more shots, then opened each of the four pill bottles and dumped their contents onto the ledge of the headstone. There were at least 15 of each pill. He thought he'd be nervous about what he was going to do but strangely he felt absolutely at peace. More than anything, he wanted - needed - to be with her again. And if that was to be in death, then so be it. He hoped that as he died he heard her giggle, saw her smile, felt his lips on hers.

He poured a shot and scooped up all the pain pills in the palm of his hand. He tossed them in his mouth and washed them back with the shot of vodka. Quickly, he took all the anti-anxiety pills. The alcohol and effect of the drugs took hold then, and he slumped over.

_Hello darlin'_ he heard Quinn say, her voice soothing as the darkness washed over him.

_xxxxx_

The beeping was the first thing he heard. _There's beeping in heaven?_ he thought groggily. _Quinn...Quinn's gotta be here_.

The light was blinding when he finally opened his eyes. Then, he heard the crying, crying from joy, his parents were there, crying because he was still alive. He cried too because he was still alive. _I was so close, so close to her..._

His parents had read his suicide note and realized he was battling a much greater depression than they had seen. He had hidden it well.

He had survived his attempted suicide by vomiting up the pills he had taken and the groundskeeper finding his slumped-over body while making his rounds through the cemetery that night. The doctors said if he had managed to get all the pills into his system he would not have had a chance of survival. They diagnosed him with severe clinical depression and once he was medically stable he was sent to a facility where he would undergo inpatient treatment. The only thing he asked to take to the facility was his favorite picture of him and Quinn, the one his parents had found on her headstone.

At the facility, he felt like he was in prison but he could understand why. They had to take every precaution to make sure he didn't try to kill himself again. There was no privacy; either someone was with him or he was on camera at all times. The medications he was on kept needing to be adjusted; he'd have good days, great days even, but then slump into depression for a week. Once, he thought of how Quinn had been buried with the promise ring he had given her and all he could focus on was needing to see that ring. Those were probably the darkest days he had there. And, the fact that he wasn't seeing her anymore. The nightmares were curbed with something they gave him to sleep so she visited him no more.

He finally talked to a counselor there about seeing Quinn's apparition. He expected the guy to freak out, but he responded like it was the most normal thing in the world, to see the ghost of your dead girlfriend and even talk with her. The counselor even told him that nothing had been proven or unproven with ghost sightings and if his connection with Quinn was that strong then maybe she was coming back to him in some form. The counselor reminded him, though, that his depression was severe and could've caused his mind to play horrible tricks on him.

"Do you think Quinn would want you to take your own life? Would she have wanted that?" the counselor asked him one day. "The Quinn you knew and loved...would she have asked you to do that?"

He thought long and hard about that question. The Quinn he knew and loved dearly would not have wanted him to do that. After many talks with the counselor, he finally realized that it was his own selfish thinking that led him to where he sat presently. He was never visited by Quinn again.

_xxxxx_

He finished his senior year by working hard and catching up and taking a couple classes over the summer. He signed up for classes at the local community college, choosing a general studies major since he didn't know what he wanted to do. He met a girl, Marley, and was friends with her first, slowly moving into girlfriend/boyfriend territory. He told her about his high school girlfriend, a girl named Quinn, whom he had loved with all his heart but was no longer alive. He didn't delve into the details of the accident; she learned from his parents the extent of it. On rare occasions, he'd still wake up suffering from a nightmare about the accident, but they were happening more infrequently.

During his second year of college, Marley encouraged him to take more classes in psychology as his minor. Somewhere along the line, he decided to work toward being a therapist to help others who were battling what he had fought through. He focused on young adults, kids not too much younger than himself. He earned his 2-year degree, then transferred to OSU to work on his bachelor's degree. Right after he graduated from OSU with his bachelor degree in psychology, he married Marley and joined a practice in Columbus as a counselor to troubled teens. Life passed by quickly then and one night he found himself in a hospital again, holding his newborn daughter.

Having the baby in his life brought back memories of Quinn and how she had struggled with giving up her daughter. He remembered how she confided in him that it was really not what she had wanted to do; he never judged her, just held her in his arms when she cried.

His daughter was a few months old one late May day, and he told Marley he was going to drive up to Lima to visit his parents. She hugged him and kissed him, knowing what that specific date meant to him. He did drive to Lima and did visit his parents and siblings with his daughter, catching up on each other's lives. He left his parent's home and stopped at the florist to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers, then drove to the cemetery.

"There's an old friend of mine I'd like you to meet," he said to his daughter, carrying her to Quinn's gravesite. He laid the flowers at the headstone, along with someone else's fresh white daisies and a single red rose. He stood there quietly, recalling the night the sadness had engulfed him and he had lain there aching to see her again. His daughter touched his cheek where a single tear had fallen.

"Quinn, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Lucy..." he said quietly, kissing the baby's cheek.

He stood there a few moments longer, telling Quinn about his life now. His daughter squirmed and whined a little, so he knew it was time for him to go.

Running his fingertips over her name one last time, he whispered _goodbye darlin'_.

_But now she's gone, even though I hold her tight,_  
><em>I lost my love, my life, that night...<em>


	8. On Our Way

_**ON OUR WAY**_

_On my way_ Quinn texted to Rachel who was waiting, very impatiently, at the office of the justice of the peace in downtown Lima.

She had stopped at the county highway, a truck zooming past her as she hit _send_. She hated holding up the ceremony but had forgotten her pink bridesmaid's dress.

She pulled out on the county highway, headed for town.

_xxxxx_

She stood there with the other Glee girls, listening to Finn and Rachel's ceremony. She watched Finn smile at Rachel, clearly head-over-heels in love with her. She recalled dating him a couple years ago, how she thought he was _the one_. She smiled a little…he was the one, the one for Rachel Barbra Berry.

She glanced at the other groomsmen, her eyes falling on Noah Puckerman. She remembered the drama of their sophomore year, when she let him into her bedroom one time and wound up getting pregnant. She remembered trying to decide what to do with the baby, getting thrown out of her house, telling Finn it was his baby…such a difficult time. She smiled a little again, remembering how once she had made her decision he told her he loved her. She knew that he would have tried to make it work, but, in her heart, she knew she did the best thing for Beth.

And then her eyes fell on the tall dark blonde boy. She watched him as he stood with his hands clasped in front of him, swaying back and forth slightly on his feet, listening to the JP proceed with the ceremony. Her heart felt full watching him, remembering the good times with him. She had never felt so happy than when she sang her duets with Sam. He always made her feel secure and always made her smile. Her smile changed to a tiny frown as she remembered how she'd hurt him by kissing Finn. How stupid she had been. She had hurt his feelings, sent him running to Santana who in turn also hurt his feelings. She had missed him when his family moved over the summer and tried to contact him once or twice. He had responded nicely, as friends, and that's how she left it. When he had returned, she had been excited to see him…for all the wrong reasons though. She saw how enamored he was with Mercedes and backed off…the day that Mercedes sang _I Will Always Love You_ and Sam had left the choir room she nearly ran after him, to pull him into her arms and apologize for all the injustice in the world, that just kept raining down on him.

Just then, he turned and caught her eye. He gave her his sweet lopsided smile and turned back to the JP. His smile caused her to smile.

The JP was saying …_partners in life in such a way that together you will meet every situation of life; the peaceful and the chaotic, the routine and the exciting, the sorrowful and the joyful, the threatening and the inviting. Will you love him, affirm him, and commit yourself…?_

She knew then. She had to talk to him after the ceremony.

_xxxxx_

Everyone gathered in a conference room, decorated for a low-key reception. After everyone had congratulated the newlyweds and the small cake was cut, people separated off into their normal cliques.

Quinn took her plate of cake and nuts and mints and her cup of punch and sat down to watch the others. She and Kurt were on the outs; he was huddled in a corner with Blaine, still opposed to Finn and Rachel's nuptials. Mike and Tina were talking to Mr. Schuester and Miss Pillsbury and Mercedes, Sugar, Santana, and Brittany stood off to the side at the gift table. Finn and Rachel were talking to their parents, their newly-formed family. The other boys were hovering over the punch bowl, Noah, Artie, Sam, and Rory. Quinn tried not to stare at them; she was pretty sure she saw Noah pull a flask from his jacket pocket. She turned her attention again to the bride and groom, basking in their happiness, and silently prayed for their happiness as a newly married couple.

She felt a presence next to her.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked her, smiling down at her.

She smiled up at him and mouthed the word _no_.

He sat down next to her, holding a cup of punch himself. She could smell the alcohol in it and he noticed that she could tell.

He looked at the cup and smiled. "I only took this so I wouldn't look like a pansy in front of the dudes."

She smiled back but said nothing. He set it on the floor at his feet, not taking a drink.

"Well, uh, their ceremony was nice…I hope they'll be happy," Sam said to her, following her gaze to Finn and Rachel.

"Yes, I hope so too…they both deserve happiness," Quinn replied.

There was an awkward pause as they listened to a song and watched Finn and Rachel start to dance.

"You look really pretty today…I'm glad you could get here on time," he said, looking at her. "Rachel was about to have a cow."

She giggled in spite of herself. "She kept texting me while I was trying to get here."

More awkward silence between them as they watched others join in the dance: Burt and Carole, Hiram and Leroy, Kurt and Blaine, Sugar and Rory, Mike and Tina, Santana and Brittany, Mr. Schue and Emma, Artie and Mercedes…until they were the only two still sitting. Noah had wandered off to find some court hottie, he said.

"Um, well, would you like to dance?" Sam finally stammered out.

"Sure, Sam…"

It was an awkward dance, a dance between two people who used to be close but now were barely friends. As they shuffled amongst the other couples, Quinn decided to tell him, tell him what she had come to realize earlier.

"Sam, during the ceremony, I realized something…it hit me like a truck," she said to him quietly. She felt his grip tighten slightly around her waist.

He said _what_ against her cheek, not really looking at her.

"I realized something about myself…something I've been missing…I've been missing you, Sam. I've been missing your friendship most of all," she said into his shoulder.

He didn't know how to respond to her. He had missed her too, of course, but his heart had been set on Mercedes. He was still reeling from what Mercedes had told him on Valentine's Day, though; he had not even thought of dating anyone else.

"Quinn, I-I don't…"

"Please, just let me finish, Sam. The justice of the peace, he said _partners in life _and I know you've been hurt recently and I-I just want us to be friends again. I'd do anything to make that hurt go away, Sam Evans, but all I can do right now is be your friend. If it grows into something more, then so be it, please just let me be your friend again." She stopped, afraid of his response.

He listened to her plea, her voice soft and yearning, her breath against his neck. Old feelings crept into his mind, feelings for her he had hidden long ago. This was not crazy Quinn asking him to raise her baby, this was not obsessed Quinn worried about being prom queen, this was not HBIC Quinn worried about winning the next Cheerios competition…this was happy Quinn, Quinn who seemed at peace with herself, asking him to be her friend again.

"I've always been your friend, Quinn," he said finally. "You want more though…"

"I want to be your friend, Sam," she said again.

He looked into her eyes, eyes that could make him do anything she wanted. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Let's be friends."__

**EPILOGUE**

They gave a standing ovation for Ms. Rachelle Berry-Hudson after her premiere performance on the grand stage at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. They were Ms. Berry-Hudson's special guests that night with seats front row and center. Surrounding them were their old friends from McKinley: Mike and Tina, Santana and Brittany, Mercedes and Artie, Rory and Sugar, Blaine and Kurt, Noah, and Finn.

After the show, they crowded backstage to congratulate Rachel. Finn handed her a bouquet of red roses. Sam's hand stayed at the small of Quinn's back, guiding her through the crowd, then he held her close as they encircled Rachel.

The past five years had been a blessing for Sam and Quinn. They continued to be friends through their senior year of high school. Quinn attended Yale while Sam attended the University of Kentucky. The long-distance relationship was difficult but bloomed. As the end of their four-year collegiate careers came to an end, they made the decision to try to find jobs near one another, Quinn in the fashion industry and Sam as a personal trainer. They finally settled on Cincinnati, not exactly the pulse of the fashion industry but Quinn landed a great job as fashion editor for Cosmopolitan and could be based from Cincinnati while Sam worked with the Cincinnati Bengals. They rented an apartment and began preparing for their future.

The first year in Cincinnati had been a bit rough, adjusting their work schedules and adjusting to living with one another. They had endured some breakups during college but always came back to one another. Now, living together, they had to deal with their arguments and move on. Oftentimes, Quinn would remember that justice of the peace saying _partners for life_ and she'd find a way to compromise. Finally, after a year of living with one another, Quinn was antsy for Sam to pop the 'big question'. He had the ring – she didn't know that – and was just waiting for the right moment. Then, the invitation from Rachel came in the mail, asking them to join her in Las Vegas to be at opening night of her new show and Sam began to form his plan. They gladly took a week off and flew to Vegas.

"I'd like to go see the fountains..." Sam said to Quinn once they had moved away from the crowd surrounding Rachel a bit.

"That sounds nice," she replied, taking his hand.

They walked slowly around the fountains until Sam stopped at a spot in front of the attraction.

"This is beautiful...even the music," she said, fitting into the crook of his arm. He could feel her swaying slightly to what he thought was a Sinatra tune. He watched the fountains spray in different patterns and lights and lost himself a little. Quinn humming the song brought him back to reality.

He kissed the top of her head. "Partners in life..." he whispered.

She had been leaning into him, humming the tune, trying to remember what song it was. _I'll Be Seeing You_? _L.O.V.E._? It was familiar and entrancing. Then, she heard him whisper into her hair. _Her words to him_. She turned to face him.

"What did you just say?" she asked him.

"I said..._partners in life_...me and you, Quinn...forever," he told her. "I-I want to make it official..."

It was then she understood. He lowered himself to one knee and held the ring box up to her in his sweaty palm. "Please be my partner in life..."

She never expected it. Not anytime in the near future, not in Vegas, not that night in front of the Bellagio fountains. The smile took over her face; she nodded and squealed a little.

He stood up, holding her arms. "Is that a _yes_, Quinn? If that's a _yes_, then I wanna marry you tonight, right now..."

She didn't think she could be any more shocked than with his proposal, but he then outdid himself.

"Tonight? Here?"

He kissed her, unable to stand there not kissing her any longer. "Tonight Quinn. We can have a proper church wedding back home with the family but tonight, tonight is ours..."

"Yes, Sam, yes!"

_xxxxx_

A couple hours after accepting Sam's proposal, Quinn found herself in a wedding chapel in a hotel on the 108th floor with their old friends present. The officiant read what Sam had prepared...Sam had planned it all, hoping she'd say _yes_.

Quinn listened: "Hand in hand you enter marriage, hand in hand you step out in faith. The hand you freely give to each other, is both the strongest and the most tender part of your body. In the years ahead, you will need both strength and tenderness. Be firm in your commitment. Don't let your grip become weak. And yet, be flexible as you go through change. Don't let your hold become intolerable. Strength and tenderness, firm commitment and flexibility, of such is a marriage made, hand in hand, _partners in life_."

A single tear fell down Quinn's cheek when Sam slipped the simple wedding band on her ring finger, alongside her new engagement ring.

Sam hugged her tightly while kissing her as they were pronounced man and wife.

_xxxxx_

After the ceremony, Sam and Quinn were sequestered into a private room to sign documents to be filed at the courthouse. Neither one of them could stop smiling. Once they were finished signing their names (Quinn shakily signed _Quinn L Evans_), they were left alone. He immediately embraced her, then kissed her. He sat down, pulling her onto his lap.

"Sam Evans, are you crying?" she asked, her hands holding his face just inches from hers.

"I'm so happy, Quinn..." he said. "I've wanted to ask you to be my wife for so long now."

"It was perfect, Sam...all of it...I'm very happy too," she said, nuzzling into his neck.

"I just kept thinking back to the day Finn and Rachel got married and what would've happened if we had never danced? What would my life be like? Empty...it'd be so empty without you by my side. I love you so much, Quinn Evans," he said quietly, kissing her cheek.

"I love my new name," she mumbled against his lips, smiling.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and chuckled. "It's the gang...wondering where we are..."

They were to go to a small reception next, though Sam was wondering if they could just skip it and return to their room.

"Tell them we'll be there soon..." she said, taking him into a deep kiss. "We're on our way..."


	9. Lying Eyes

**Lying Eyes**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Glee, not the characters or actors, nothing. I also own nothing of the Eagles; I do not own Don Henley or Glenn Frey who penned the song.**

_City girls just seem to find out early,  
><em>_How to open doors with just a smile,  
><em>_A rich old man and she won't have to worry,  
><em>_She'll dress up all in lace and go in style._

She met him at the law firm in Cincinnati where she interned the third summer of college. He was newly divorced for the second time and was on the prowl for a trophy wife, which is exactly what Lucy Quinn Fabray became. He courted her like a gentleman, at first treating her to fancy dinners at swanky restaurants and then extravagant trips abroad and the _jewelry_…the jewelry she'd die for. And one day, he presented her with the piece of jewelry she had been longing for, a 6-carat marquis cut diamond engagement ring set in platinum. She finished college and began planning her wedding to become Mrs. Jackson Wendell Henry III. _Quinn Henry_, she thought over and over in the days before she would marry a man nearly 30 years her senior, twisting the giant ring on her left fourth finger.

The wedding was lavish by Cincinnati standards; Quinn had grown accustomed to this style of living since knowing Jack. Anything she wanted, he gave to her. A BMW? She chose black. An estate on 5 acres? She chose a gated community. A clothing allowance? The sky was the limit. He even gave her a job at the law firm; she worked from home for their public relations department, putting her communications degree to use. It wasn't until three years into the marriage, that she asked him for something and he said _no_. She asked him to give her a child and he laughed in her face. He had four children from his previous two marriages and wanted no more. Quinn was bored with being a stepmother; she wanted to be a _mother_. His firm answer devastated her, but she didn't let it show.

For the next year, she tried every tactic she could think of to sway Jack's decision until the day he came home and said he had scheduled his vasectomy. From that point on, from the day he had the procedure performed and she had to drive him home from it, she withdrew into herself, not sure of her next move.

_Late at night a big old house gets lonely,  
><em>_I guess every form of refuge has its price,  
><em>_And it breaks her heart to think her love is only  
><em>_Given to a man with hands as cold as ice._

She asked for a gym membership, _to keep her girlish figure_, she told him. He bought her a membership at the upscale private gym his law firm used, and she signed up for a personal trainer. The first day at the gym, she changed in the locker room, into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and pulled her hair up and went to the gym to wait on the trainer.

"Quinn Henry?" a deep voice asked from behind her. She turned, suddenly face-to-face with a tall blonde guy. _Those lips_.

"That's me!" she said, cheerfully, studying his face.

"Great…I'm Sam Evans…" He stuck his hand out to shake hers and she offered her hand slowly.

"Sam? Evans? From Lima?" she asked uncertainly. He studied her face for a moment. He knew those eyes in a heartbeat. _Those eyes_.

"Quinn Fabray?" he asked suddenly, pulling her into a hug, not waiting on her answer.

They both laughed at recognizing the other one.

"Wow! It's been like, what, 7, 8 years?" he asked her.

"Eight years, I believe. How've you been? You look great!" she said, truly happy to see her old friend.

"Not too bad, was married but that didn't work out. I have two sweet little girls. They live with their mom mostly. This work keeps me busy. How about you?"

"Married with just stepkids. My husband is a lawyer at Hughes, McGavin, and Henry," she said automatically.

"Jack Henry? He comes in every once in awhile. Do you work anywhere?"

"In the PR department for the firm, from home. At least I'm able to use my degree," she said. "So, I guess you're supposed to train me?"

He smiled. "I guess so." He handed her the clipboard he was holding and told her to fill out the information there. He wandered off to get them a couple bottles of water as she did so.

_I cannot believe how hot he is! Who knew that funny Sam Evans would grow up into one helluva sexy guy! And he's going to be training me…oh my god, I can't put my weight on this form…he'd gag in disgust! When he sees me try to work out he will be disgusted. My god, he's so incredibly good looking now_, she thought as she filled out the paperwork.

Walking to get the water, the thoughts were racing through his mind. _She graduated and went to Yale, right? She had that bad accident, then the paralysis went away. She was dating that dude with the dreads, I think. She hasn't changed a bit, except her smile, her smile seems genuine. Her eyes still intrigue me…not sure why she needs a trainer, she looks like she's in great shape_.

He took the bottles of water back to her, and they went over the information she provided and discussed what kind of exercise/toning plan she needed. He put her through some exercises to get a baseline of what kind of shape she was in. As they worked out, they reminisced about high school and the people they were still in contact with. He told her a little about his daughters and how much he missed them. She told him about her stepchildren, the youngest of the four was graduating high school that year.

They scheduled a weekly appointment for her to come in to meet with him and she was supposed to work out on her own another couple times a week, there or at home. They stood awkwardly at the desk making these arrangements after she had showered and changed. He wrote down the date and time on his business card and handed it to her. She smiled at him.

"It was great seeing you again, Sam," she said kindly.

"You too Quinn," he replied, watching her leave. He'd be lying if he said he didn't think of her for the next six days until seeing her again.

For the next month, Quinn worked out faithfully and met with Sam on their scheduled day and time. The more time he spent with her, the more he saw flashes of the large diamond on her finger, a constant reminder that she was taken. One day, she finally asked him about Mercedes.

"Did you two keep dating?"

He laughed a little. "She went to Los Angeles to follow her dream; we lost touch. I met the girls' mother at OSU when we were freshmen. Marisa was a surprise when we were sophomores, then we got married, and Melody was born when we were seniors. They're 6 and 4 now."

"How long have you been divorced?"

"Two years," he answered. He mumbled something about working her triceps and helped her on the equipment.

"You've really toned up in just a month," he said later, checking her stats. "You didn't have much to do to begin with though."

"Do you have any pictures of your daughters here?" she asked, steering the conversation back to his kids.

"Um, yeah. Would you like to see them?"

Quinn rolled her eyes, laughing. "Well, of course I'd like to see them, Sam Evans! You're supposed to show off your kids!"

"What about you? You have any plans for little ones?"

She bit her lip and didn't answer him. The silence was awkward. She sighed deeply.

"Jack doesn't want any more children," she said tersely.

He didn't know what to say. He knew his girls were his life and Quinn was sitting there telling him her husband wanted no more kids. The tension was palpable.

"Oh…" was all he replied. "I'm sorry…"

She shrugged a little, tried to smile. "It'll be okay."

After her workout that day, she asked him again to show her pictures of his little girls. He had one at his desk in a frame of the three of them, one sitting on each of his knees, both wearing white t-shirts that proclaimed "I love my Daddy!" on them. If one wasn't bigger than the other, Quinn might've thought they were twins. They both had bright blonde hair, curly, and blue eyes and ruby red lips. Their smiles resembled their father's smile.

"The only difference really is Mari got my nose and Mel got her mother's nose," he laughed a little.

"This a great picture, Sam," Quinn said, handing it back to him. "Your daughters are beautiful."

"Thanks…it was taken on Father's Day of last year," he answered. He set the picture down on his desk and looked at Quinn, really looked at her. The sadness in her eyes was noticeable; her smile forced.

"You know, if you're not busy later, maybe you could come by my place and we could work on those hamstrings some more…" He couldn't believe those words fell out of his mouth. He was asking a married woman to his home under the pretense of further exercise when he was pretty sure she knew it would be more than that. He scribbled his cell phone number on the back of one of his business cards and handed it to her. She took it, only after looking at him for a few moments. She wasn't sure what to say.

"Um, I'll see…" she managed to mumble, then left the gym quickly.

She got home and sat in her car, staring at the card with his number on it. _I have been through this before; I am not a cheater anymore_, she thought and tucked the card far behind other cards in her wallet.

She went into her house, did a little work for the law firm, then picked up the phone, called the gym, and canceled her next appointment with Sam.

For the next week, she could only think of him…she missed talking to him, she missed working out with him, she missed him placing his hands on her in strategic spots to help her achieve the best stretch, she missed looking into his eyes and seeing nothing but love there.

"Why haven't you been going to the gym?" Jack asked her two weeks later. "You're going to get soft and squishy again," he laughed, "and I like your body hard and toned."

Her back was to him, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm having my period, if you must know, and I just don't feel like going to the gym, Jackson."

That shut him up.

She was also tired of him coming home late at night, seemingly more often now, and complaining about how his balls had all but shriveled up since his vasectomy. He even made her look at them one night. What she wanted to tell him was he was nearly 60 years old and that was just something that happened with age and to get over it. He got what he wanted with his vasectomy.

She had her suspicions about Jack's late-night activities; she wasn't stupid or blind and she knew why his first two wives divorced him. He came home fairly early one evening and asked her to spend the night in his room (by this point, they had separate bedrooms). She did so and he hinted that he wanted oral sex from her. The thought of it made her want to gag, but she did so anyway, for this man who had given her so much. Going down on him, she realized there were smeared red marks on his skin. Making sure he wasn't aware, she rubbed a bit of the redness on her own finger and realized it was a color of lipstick, a color she would never wear. She finished the job and returned to her own bedroom, curling up under her comforter, crying.

The next evening, she called Sam Evans.

_So she tells him she must go out for the evening,  
><em>_To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down,  
><em>_But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin',  
><em>_She is headed for the cheatin' side of town._

_You can't hide your lyin' eyes,  
><em>_And your smile is a thin disguise,  
><em>_I thought by now you'd realize,  
><em>_There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes._

_On the other side of town a boy is waiting,  
><em>_With fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal,  
><em>_She drives on through the nice anticipating,  
><em>'_Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel._

He gave her directions to his home, a modest bungalow in a decent neighborhood. He was waiting on the front porch for her and offered her a cold beer. It all spilled out then, her disappointment in not having a child with her husband, how bored she was in her position as Mrs. Jackson Wendell Henry III, the growing distance between her and Jack, the lipstick smears, how she felt she had lost herself somewhere in the past few years. She wound up in tears and in Sam's arms.

He led her into his home, to his bedroom. He took her quietly then, all the passion that had been building up between them came rushing out. It was the first time she had felt that alive since the early days of her marriage. When it was done, she sat on the edge of his bed, crying quietly. She had betrayed yet another person, though she wasn't sure whom.

He moved behind her, holding her. He apologized for what had just happened between them but then told her he wasn't really sorry…he had fallen in love with her all over again. He begged her to leave Jack.

She got dressed and rushed back home.

He called her daily the next few days, not hearing from her. Finally, his calls became fewer and fewer. She canceled any further trainer appointments with him and quit going to the gym altogether, telling her husband she was swamped with work. Sitting at her desk, though, day after day, all she could think of was her time with Sam, at the gym, at his house. She wanted more but knew that leaving her husband was out of the question.

Sam had invited her to a ballet that his daughters were participating in. She never responded to his invitation but went to the auditorium and sat in the back. She immediately knew which girls were his daughters on stage, mini versions of him. She saw him sitting close to the stage with an older couple, she assumed his parents. After the performance, as friends and family were milling about, congratulating the young ballerinas, Quinn stood back in the shadows and watched Sam interact with his girls. He was a natural with them and looked thoroughly proud of them. He held the youngest on his hip and held the hand of his oldest child. He spoke with a woman who fussed over the girls much like he did, Quinn assumed his ex-wife. He was cordial with her but the majority of his attention was on his daughters and their shining moment. She went home that night and again cried herself to sleep.

There was no communication with Sam until the day the younger, blonder version of herself showed up on her doorstep, claiming to have given birth to Jack's child. The woman handed Quinn paternity paperwork and turned to leave. Quinn shut the door quietly, took the paperwork and put it on Jack's desk, then called Sam's number, asking if she could see him.

She took a shower, mostly to hide her sobs, then went to Jack's office. He already had _his_ lawyer present and was on the phone yelling at someone. Quinn sat down quietly at his desk, looking at the pictures spread out there. They were of a newborn infant, conceived well before Jack's vasectomy. She heard him shouting words into the phone: _this is not my son! You can't prove anything! I refuse to take any goddamned tests!_

Jack suddenly slammed his phone down on his desk; Quinn looked up sharply.

"This isn't what you think," he said to her, his words heavy and falling on ears tired of listening.

"I'm going to see a friend who's feeling down…" she said, quietly.

Quinn got up and walked away.

_She rushes to his arms, they fall together,  
><em>_She whispers that it's only for awhile,  
><em>_She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever,  
><em>_She pulls away and leaves him with a smile._

_You can't hide your lyin' eyes,  
><em>_And your smile is a thin disguise,  
><em>_I thought by now you'd realize,  
><em>_There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes._

They talked late into the night, Quinn told Sam about the woman at the door, the infant, her husband's uninspired excuse. Sam urged her to leave him, come to his house until she figured out her next move. He hated seeing her cry, hated that this man had made her cry. He wanted to take care of her, wanted her to be a part of his life again. He had missed her terribly the past few weeks. He knew he was carrying a torch for her but didn't care. He had a feeling something like this would happen; he wasn't surprised the man had fathered another child; he wouldn't be surprised if the man had more children unknown to Quinn.

They wound up in Sam's bedroom again. She hated to admit it to herself but she loved being in his room, next to him. He made her feel so wanted, so needed, so loved. She didn't want to leave there but knew she had to. She had to return to the life she married into, the life she had chosen.

Leaving in the middle of the night, he begged her again not to go.

"I'll figure something out, Sam, so that we can be together. I promise, I'll be back to stay soon. I need to figure out this mess with Jack…then I'll be here forever…I promise," she whispered to him in the night.

She returned home. Jack was waiting up on her.

"An old friend, eh?" he asked, setting his glass down and standing up to face her. She could smell the bourbon on his breath. "Who were you fucking?"

She tried to push past him. He grabbed her upper arm and wrenched her back to him. She yelped in pain.

"I said, _who were you out fucking_?" he growled in her face.

"Jack, please, let go…you're hurting me…" she whined, afraid of what he was capable of. "No one…it was no one." It pained her to say that. Sam was everything to her.

"That bastard child is not mine and I'll prove it…" he mumbled. "Just another bitch tryin' to get her hands on my money…so help me, if I find out you've been with another man…" He stopped there, both of them staring at one another. He pushed her away, causing her to fall down. He stalked off to his bedroom, taking the bottle of bourbon with him.

She finally stood up and went to her room, again curling up and crying alone in her bed. The next day, she contacted a lawyer of her own who took pictures of her bruised arm. She packed a bag and hid it in her closet. She called Sam and said the wheels were in motion; she'd be his soon.

Two weeks later, Jack submitted to a paternity test and was found to be a new father. It was another drunken night at the Henry residence, though not in celebration. Locked in her bedroom, Quinn made sure she had everything she needed of importance for when she left Jack.

_She gets up and pours herself a strong one,  
><em>_And stares out at the stars up in the sky,  
><em>_Another night, it's gonna be a long one,  
><em>_She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry._

_She wonders how it ever got this crazy,  
><em>_She thinks about a boy she knew in school,  
><em>_Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?  
><em>_She's so far gone she feels just like a fool._

Once Jack had left for work the next morning, Quinn loaded her car. She stopped at her lawyer's office, signed the divorce filing paperwork, and drove to the airport.

_My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things,  
><em>_You set it up so well, so carefully,  
><em>_Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things,  
><em>_You're still the same old girl you used to be._

She called Sam from her sister's home in Arizona.

"I'll send you the plane ticket, Sam, please come…" she begged him.

He sighed on the other end of the line. "Quinn, my daughters are here…I-I can't leave them."

She was quiet on her end. Finally, she said, "And I can't come back there."

_xxxxx_

"Happy birthday, dear Mar-i-sa! Happy birthday to you!" they sang in unison. It was a party that any 7-year-old girl would kill to have…Justin Bieber. She and her sister squealed in delight as she began opening presents from Sam and Quinn and Quinn's family and her new friends. Afterward the gifts and cake, Sam and Quinn watched the girls and their friends swim.

She curled into his arm. "I'm so happy you and the girls are here."

"So are we…" he replied.

In the past few months, Quinn's divorce was finalized easily as Jack did not contest it in any way. Sam did fly out to see Quinn, unable to stay away from her, and checked out the area. He applied for personal trainer positions, then returned to Ohio. He appealed to the family court and was able to convince the judge to amend his custody agreement for his daughters. He planned on moving to Arizona to live with Quinn; he found a job that paid even better than his job in Cincinnati; he would see his daughters even more.

He took her hand in his, tracing her knuckles and fingernails and new engagement ring, a simple 1-carat square cut diamond set in white gold.

"Maybe someday we'll have one of our own…" he said to her, smiling.

She smiled back. He looked into her eyes and knew.

Upstairs in their bathroom, on the countertop, sat an EPT test, positive.

_You can't hide your lyin' eyes,  
><em>_And your smile is a thin disguise,  
><em>_I thought by now you'd realize,  
><em>_There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes…  
><em>_There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes…  
><em>_Honey, you can't hide your lyin' eyes._

**Fun fact: At one time, I loved the name 'Jack Henry' for a boy but did not name my sons that. So, I'm using it here except if my son was Jack Henry he would never have been such a d-bag.**


	10. A Beat In Time

_**A Beat In Time**_

"Ballroom!" Mr. Schue said, trying to convey his excitedness. He had just opened the letter from the Ohio show choir council, giving them the theme of that year's Regional competition, to be held right before Valentine's Day 2012. The choir room erupted in groans.

"Really? I mean, _really_?"

"That's worse than disco!"

"Heh heh heh...Schue said _ball_room!" Assorted giggles followed that remark.

"I already have several song-slash-dance ideas, Mr. Schuester!" That definitely came from Rachel; he couldn't tell where the other complaints were coming from but it was certainly all complaints except for Rachel's boundless enthusiasm.

"Great Rachel! We need to choose songs and ballroom dances. Do some research tonight and we'll brainstorm tomorrow!" Mr. Schue said, still trying to be positive. He knew he had a few good dancers in the group but the rest could do only basic moves and sing at the same time. With ballroom dancing, all of them would be on display. He sighed inwardly.

They decided on a waltz to _Moon River_, Santana requested the paso doble to _Bamboleo_, and Rachel's idea was the foxtrot to Taylor Swift's _Love Story_. They also decided on three dancing couples: Brittany and Mike to do the foxtrot, Santana and Puck to do the paso doble, and Sam and Quinn to do the waltz. They wanted Rachel and Finn on lead vocals and the others as backup singers and light choreography in the background. Sam was a little shocked about being chosen to dance the waltz, but he chalked it up his newfound dancing skills from his experience in the strip club. And then there was the issue of dancing with Quinn. They were going to have to spend a lot of time together just learning the waltz and then making it look effortless. He glanced over to where she was sitting, talking animatedly with Joe, or Teen Jesus as he always thought of him. She caught his glance and smiled and waved up to him. He waved back at her and wondered what she was thinking.

They hadn't talked very much since her weird proposal to him when he returned to McKinley, to help her raise Beth. Since then, he had been chasing Mercedes with no luck and Quinn had kind of fallen off his radar until she helped out at the homeless shelter over Christmas. He smiled at that memory. Mr. Schue called for the six dancers to come down to talk to him while the others began going over the song choices.

"The Lima Ballroom Dance Company has very graciously offered their services to us free of charge in preparation for this competition," he told them, handing them out flyers. "You'll notice the instructors you'll see and where to report and what times. Please try not to miss any rehearsals. This is a very generous service we're receiving and will only make you all better dancers. I've already talked to the instructors about the stage dimensions so they will be able to tailor your dances accordingly. We have 6 weeks to prepare!"

Sam looked at his flyer...Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, 3:30 to 5 p.m. _Oh, for crying out loud_, he thought. Then, he saw a Sunday afternoon time. _So, four times a week...good god_.

"So, this will be interesting," he said to Quinn.

"Yeah, I guess so..." she responded. "Do you know the song?"

"Nope..."

"I've got it on my phone...c'mere..."

He followed her to her chair.

"I love _Moon River_, man. It's so calming...I listen to it sometimes when I'm meditating..." Joe said to Sam, smiling. Sam looked at him like he was crazy and took Quinn's phone, clicking play. He heard the song and wanted to barf. He hit _stop_.

"Well, I just hope Rachel can do it justice," he mumbled and went back to his seat.

_Week 1_

"It is a romantic dance, filled with continuous turns, as if you both are floating across the floor," Rosie, their instructor, told them. She wore a long flowing navy blue dress and high-heeled dancing shoes, her hair and eyes as black as night, a giant white flower stuck in her hair. In Sam's mind, he thought she would be described as a handsome woman.

Sam glanced at Quinn who was clearly eating this up, smiling and nodding. She looked like her cute yet classy self, actually wearing tights and a leotard and a cut-off sweatshirt over that. He was in his usual gym shorts and t-shirt.

"It is graceful and elegant," Rosie said, smiling. She had been teaching this for years and years.

_Right up Quinn's alley then, not mine_, Sam thought.

She showed them the beginning basic steps. They used _Moon River _to practice to and Sam was pretty sure he was going to despise that song by the time this was over. He was supposed to lead Quinn obviously and the first couple nights he could barely move three steps without crushing her dainty toes.

"Owww Sam!" she cried on Friday afternoon. "Really? Again?"

"Jeesh, sorry, Quinn," he said sarcastically. At that point he really didn't care whose toes he stepped on.

He did have to admit, though, it was nice holding her hand and her waist and guiding her around the ballroom, even if it was under the careful gaze of Rosie, who clapped in time to the music and shouted pointers to him. Of course, Quinn picked up on it like a pro, he knew she would. Other than when she'd bitch about her aching feet from his stomping on them, she'd smile and look halfway happy.

_Week 2_

They had learned the basic steps and now worked on perfecting them. By this time, they both knew the words to _Moon River_ and hummed the song as they moved about the room. They began in the closed position, Quinn looking over Sam's right shoulder and Sam looking over her right shoulder. He was getting better about not crunching her feet but had to concentrate more on his arms. Unfortunately, his eyes kept straying over to find hers and then Rosie would yell at him to _take position!_

After their Friday rehearsal, Sam asked her if she wanted to grab an ice cream.

She paused for a beat, then said sure. They walked down the street to a Baskin Robbins and each chose a cone and sat down.

"I never realized how tired I'd be, doing all this dancing," he said, laughing. "_Spaghetti arms!_" He mimicked Rosie.

Quinn giggled. "_Left, 2, 3, right, 2, 3, quick, quick, quick! Quick, quick, quick!_" She did her own impression and made Sam laugh.

"At least we're getting better...erm, at least _I'm _getting better...you've always been a great dancer," he said seriously.

"You're doing fine! And my toes thank you!" she said, giggling again. He smiled at her.

"I hope we're ready for Regionals...I think I heard Rosie say something about a lift...I guess I need to hit the gym on my off dance days," he said.

"And I probably need to avoid places like this!" she replied.

They were silent for awhile, licking their cones, looking at the Main Street traffic from the window.

"So..." they both said at once and laughed.

"So...any luck with 'Cedes?" she asked him. He blushed a bit and stared at his ice cream cone. It was kind of weird for _her _to be asking him about Mercedes.

"Nah...I think she's pretty into that Shane guy," he answered. "So, you busy tonight? Maybe we could work on our steps in the basement at Finn and Kurt's?"

She smiled nicely at him. "I can't tonight. I have plans with Joe."

He nodded and went back to his ice cream.

_Week 3_

Rosie told Sam and Quinn she wanted them to learn a simple lift. She demonstrated with one of the male dancers there. Sam and Quinn looked at one another, not sure they could pull that off. She had them work on partner/trust exercises that week. She said a lift would look elegant with Quinn's dress and fit well with their classic musical choice and just be impressive to the audience. He would lift her with one arm wrapped around her waist while supporting her outstretched opposite leg with his other hand, spin her around three times, then lower her down slowly so that they were walking together to begin the next sequence. But, first, the exercises. Quinn had to learn to trust Sam, that he wouldn't drop her when she leaned into his arms. They began incorporating new little moves into their basic waltz. Sam also was finding he loved the feel of her taut abdominal muscles underneath his hands, he loved being able to catch her and support her while they danced. He tried to fight the feeling but it was there, simmering under the surface whenever they met to practice. He had come to look forward to the time they spent together, holding one another, her smile, the touch of her hand on his arm, how supple her thigh felt when he supported her in the lift.

On Sunday of their third week, though, she arrived a couple minutes late, totally unlike her, and crying...or trying not to.

"I'm sorry, Sam...I didn't mean to be late...are you ready?" she asked him, sniffling.

"Um, yeah...but if you wanna blow this off..."

"No, gosh no...let's do this," she said, taking her position. Rosie entered the room and began talking about them working on their lift for this first time while actually dancing. She showed Quinn how to move into the lift, where Sam could easily raise her up. Rosie looked at Quinn, saw her red puffy face, then looked to Sam who shrugged, then back to Quinn.

They tried several times to get the lift but either Quinn was off her mark or Sam was off his. Finally, after Quinn missed the seventh time, she jogged away from Sam and crumpled up against the mirrored wall, her head in her hands. He could see her shoulders trembling from where he stood so he went over to her and slid down next to her.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really...I'm just so stupid..." she mumbled, swiping at her nose.

"I don't think you're stupid," he said.

"Well, I am..." she replied. "I just can't make a good decision..._ever_."

He had no idea what she was talking about so he didn't say anything.

"I shoulda known he'd be more interested in a _sophomore_," she spat out.

_So it was about a boy_, he thought, guessing Joe Schmoe or Teen Jesus or whatever his name was. Sam stayed quiet, letting her spill her guts.

"He said he couldn't meet me for church today because he was doing a Habitat for Humanity thing. I drove over to the house where he was working and saw him and some Cheerio hanging out..."

"Aw Quinn, they're prob'ly just friends," Sam interjected, trying to be helpful.

"Kissing friends?" she asked, rolling her red-rimmed eyes.

"Ohhh..." he said, suddenly wanting to punch the Joe dude in the gut. He took a chance then. "I didn't think he was right for you anyway."

"Oh really?" she asked, snorting a little. "And why's that?"

"Well, number one, he's too young for you. Number two, his hair...it's awful, Quinn, pure and simply awful. Number three, he obviously didn't appreciate what he had. Number 4, you're way too smart for him. Number five, you're way too pretty for him. Number six, he didn't deserve someone as great as you," Sam said, ticking the numbers off on his fingers.

She was giggling by the time he finished counting.

"You think I'm great?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're pretty awesome, Quinn," he said quietly, relishing the moment. Her finger was tracing his fingers resting on his knee and suddenly he stood up.

"Let's try the lift again!" he said, offering her a hand. She took his hand and stood up. They tried the lift again and landed it that time.

_Week 4_

They spent the fourth week learning their routine. Rachel had recorded their version of _Moon River_, and they used that during their rehearsals. They incorporated three lifts throughout the song and worked hard on perfecting those. As they became more and more comfortable and sure of themselves during the lifts, Sam was able to lower her slowly her against his body to the floor, running his hands from her waist and leg to her sides to guide her downward. At the end of one of those more involved lifts, she glanced over her shoulder at him, biting down on her lip, then moved on with their routine. The look he had seen in her gorgeous hazel eyes was _need_.

As they danced around the room, he'd sneak peeks of them, of _her_, in the mirrored wall. He was comfortable in his movements finally and couldn't believe the dance was coming together so well. She moved with such grace, effortlessly it seemed, her movements flowing and elegant. He found himself yearning for the moments that he got to touch her.

On Friday after rehearsal, they were stretching and talking about their performance. She stood up from the floor where she tossed stuff into a gym bag, and he took her hand and twirled her around and around. When they stopped, both breathless and giggly, she was pressed up against him, their noses nearly touching. She turned her head up just enough, and he kissed her. His lips were hot yet soft and they stayed locked in their kiss for moments and moments until slowly they each pulled away from the other, neither one wanting to lose contact. He gazed down at her, still holding her close to him. The door to the room opened and heels clicked across the floor. They sprang apart from each other. Rosie looked to each of them, smiling as if she knew something they didn't. They left quickly, saying their goodbyes to one another.

_I got a funny feeling,  
>The moment that your lips touched mine...<br>Something shot right through me...  
>My heart skipped a beat in time.<em>

_There's a different feel about you tonight,_  
><em>It's got me thinkin' lots of crazy things...<em>  
><em>I even think I saw a flash of light...<em>  
><em>It felt like electricity.<em>

_You shouldn't kiss me like this..._  
><em>Unless you mean it like that...<em>  
><em>'Cause I'll just close my eyes<em>  
><em>And I won't know where I'm at...<em>

_We'll get lost on this dance floor..._  
><em>Spinnin' around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>

Sam made it back to the Hudson-Hummel residence and found his basement bedroom empty thankfully. Usually, Finn was down there, playing video games, or Kurt would be waiting on him to have a fashion show...but both of them were out that evening. He lay down on his bed in the dark and thought about the day's events, mainly about dancing with Quinn. _What is going on with us? I put all my feelings for her aside when she cheated on me with Finn and they're just crushing me again. I can't let myself get close to her again...she only hurts people._ Then, he thought of how she had been the day she had caught Teen Jesus kissing some other girl. She was hurt that day but didn't strike out, just dealt with it and went on. And then he thought of her and their dancing, how close they had become through the motions of the waltz and the lifts, most times wordlessly, only communicating through touch. _Oh god, that kiss tonight_, he thought, _her lips have never felt so...so wanting...what would've happened if Rosie hadn't appeared? _His hand slipped into his pants...the more he thought about her, the more aroused he became. He thought of the kiss deepening, pulling her up against his length, her fingers pressed into the back of his neck...just the mere thought of their lips parting and their tongues finally touching caused him to climax. Breathing heavily, still rubbing himself, he knew one thing for sure...he wanted her back.

At her house, Quinn sat in front of the TV painting her toenails, thinking of Sam and their shared kiss. She knew at the beginning of their dance rehearsals a few weeks before that he had really not wanted to do this but did so grudgingly. She had to admit that he had gotten a lot better at the dance and the lifts were awesome. When they finally nailed it and started really practicing them, she felt like she was flying when he'd hold her in the air and spin. She loved it. She loved dancing with him, the closeness, his strong arms and abs and legs. And the day she ran to dance rehearsal crying like a baby over Joe...she could've kicked herself for letting Sam see the cracks in the walls she built around herself but he didn't laugh at her or berate her or put her off, he listened to her and made _her_ smile. At some point, with the dancing and the requirement to be so close to each other, she felt herself falling for him again. _He's wrapped up in Mercedes, though_, she thought, _but that kiss tonight tells me otherwise_. Of course, Mercedes was still with Shane and only treated Sam as a friend during Glee. Their kiss had made her see fireworks though...she couldn't believe it. She had felt his fingers gripping her tightly, not letting her move from his body. The kiss was much different, it felt more _grownup_, than when they had dated the year previously. This kiss stirred feelings in her, feelings she really wasn't aware she had. She wanted his lips on her again like that, _desired _him. She had never felt this way about Finn or even Puck. She picked up her cell phone and texted this message to Sam:

_Great rehearsal...thinking of you..._

She received his reply: _Thinking of you too._

_Week 5_

This was the week they began rehearsing in their costumes. It was more of an issue for Quinn than Sam. He wore black slacks and a white satin button-up that Kurt had fashioned for him with a black satin scarf tied around his neck. Quinn wore a flowing black dress. The neckline was plunging with a gentle ruffle. The sleeves were tiny, accentuating her slim and toned upper arms. The waist was gathered, and the skirt itself fell to nearly her ankles with a matching ruffle at the hem. It was the fullest dress she had ever worn; when she twirled in front of the mirrors, the span was nearly three feet around her. She wore high-heeled black dance shoes. Trying to dance their steps without tangling the skirt between her knees or toppling over in the shoes was definitely going to be a problem, but she was determined to work through it.

Quinn stepped out of the dressing room and onto the dance floor where Sam was waiting with Rosie who was adjusting his black scarf.

"Umm..._wow_..." he mumbled, staring at her, stunned by her natural beauty.

"Let's start slowly, to let Quinn get used to her gown," Rosie said, moving out of their way.

Standing in front of Sam, Quinn was now eye-to-eye with him in her heels. They stared at each other and automatically took their position at the opening notes of the song.

"You look so pretty," he whispered to her.

She glanced down to their feet and murmured _thank you_. Neither one of them mentioned their kiss.

Rachel's voice filled the room, and they began moving. The skirt was tricky for Quinn, as were the shoes, and they started the dance over several times that day but finally got through their routine one full time. Rosie told them she was going to record them rehearsing so they could watch it over the weekend and see for themselves what they needed to work on.

"Like in football?" Sam asked.

"Exactly, Samuel...from the top!" Rosie said, smiling.

As that week progressed, Quinn began to feel more comfortable in her dress and shoes. All Sam wanted to do was wrap his arms around her, hold her, kiss her again. On Friday, Rosie videotaped their last dance of the night and told them where to access it on YouTube.

"Umm, I'm gonna change..." Quinn told him.

"Yeah, me too. Uh, you wanna come over to watch it tonight?" he asked her outside the dressing rooms.

She smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."

At the Hudson-Hummel residence, Sam and Quinn sat with her laptop on a couch in the family room and pulled up their dance video. They watched it once in silence, studying their movements. By the third time they watched it, Sam had worked his arm around her shoulders. They giggled at their obvious mistakes and missteps and finally got serious and started critiquing themselves. After watching it nine times, they had a good idea on what they really needed to focus on. Quinn closed the laptop and turned to face Sam.

"So…" she said.

"So…" he replied.

She kissed him without saying anything else. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back up and down, pressing her against him. Her lips finally parted, and she hesitantly poked his tongue with hers. The kissing went on like that until they heard a commotion at the front of the house; Finn, Rachel, Blaine, and Kurt had returned. Sam and Quinn parted on the couch and stood to greet them. Quinn told Sam she needed to head home as it was getting late. He walked her to her car and hugged her again.

"I'm having the best time dancing with you, Quinn," he said quietly.

She paused, her brow wrinkled. "Is this going to end once the competition is over?"

"I don't want it to end…do you?" he asked her.

"No…" she whispered, kissing him again.

_Week 6_

They danced Monday and Wednesday at the dance company. Friday was dress rehearsal at McKinley in preparation for the Regional competition the next day, being held at the school. After Wednesday's rehearsal, Rosie hugged them both, telling them they had mastered the dance and added their own personal touch to it. She said she'd be at the competition to watch them perform.

Sam held Quinn's hand on their way to their cars.

"Ice cream?" he asked her.

"Yes please!" she answered.

At the ice cream parlor, once they were sitting and licking their cones, Sam looked at her, a slight smile on her lips the entire time, her eyes sparkling.

"Um, I kinda wanted to ask you something…this might not be the best time but it's been on my mind…" he started.

"Sure…ask away!" she giggled, obviously in a very good mood.

"Before any other guy gets to you, I wanted to be the first to ask…would you like to go to prom with me?" he said, rushing out the last few words, suddenly nervous.

She stopped licking her ice cream and stared at him for a split second, then squealed and came around the table to sit on his knee and hug him. Later, he found ice cream on the back of his neck, but he didn't care…she said yes.

_Dress Rehearsal_

On Friday night, New Directions met at the auditorium at 6 p.m. to go through their dress rehearsal. This would be the first time that the others would see the foxtrot, paso doble, and waltz and put all the choreography together.

The girls were dressing and getting made up in their dressing room. Quinn sat at the lighted mirror applying some makeup, not too heavily, she'd do that the next night, but she still wanted to look pretty for Sam.

A figure appeared behind her, and she stopped mid lip gloss application.

"I hear you and Sam are getting close again," Mercedes said to her, locking eyes with her in the mirror.

"Well, we've been practicing this dance now-"

"Don't hurt him again, Quinn Fabray," Mercedes said, putting her hands on Quinn's shoulders and leaning down to her ear. "Because I'm watching."

Mercedes gave her one final look and sauntered off to finish getting ready. Quinn stared at herself in the mirror, frowning.

Mr. Schue gathered the group together on stage once everyone was ready, and they went over the sequence of the performances and choreography. He had the six dancers sit and watch the others do what they had been working on and then they ran through the entire show adding the three dances. Quinn was nervous about her and Sam's dance but once she was facing him on stage it came naturally to her. His smile eased her nerves, and they moved through the dance without any issues. They ran through the entire performance another three times and by the time they were done Quinn had completely forgotten about Mercedes' earlier warning to her.

_They're all watchin' us now,  
>They think we're falling in love,<br>They'd never believe we're just friends...  
>When you kiss me like this,<br>I think you mean it like that...  
>If you do baby kiss me again.<em>

_Everybody swears we make the perfect pair,_  
><em>But dancing is as far as it goes...<em>  
><em>Girl, you've never moved me,<em>  
><em>Quite the way you moved me tonight...<em>  
><em>I just wanted you to know...<em>

Sam asked her to meet him outside the dressing rooms, maybe they could grab a coke or just drive around for awhile. She smiled, pecked him on the cheek, and went to change. In the girls' dressing room, the activity was infectious. The girls crowded around Quinn, complimenting her dance with Sam and asking what was going on with them, because it was just so obvious. She just blushed and said _nothing is going on between us_. Mercedes slipped away from the room and went to the boys' dressing room.

She knocked on their door and had Finn get Sam for her. Sam rushed to the door, blushing and excited, but the look on his face changed when he saw it wasn't Quinn.

"Can I talk to you please?" Mercedes asked him. He wasn't going to be rude to her at all; he still considered her a friend.

"Sure…what's up?" he said, stepping out into the hallway with her.

Suddenly, he found himself in a tight hug.

"Sam, I'm so sorry, so sorry, that I let you down…at least I didn't cheat on you like Quinn did…" Mercedes was saying to him.

"Wait…what? Why do you think you let me down, Cedes?" he asked. He didn't pull away from her but felt a little stifled.

"Shane and I broke up, Sam. I should've given you another chance. We could try again, couldn't we Sam?" she asked, finally looking up to him.

What he wanted to say was _that ship has sailed _but he was polite and still her friend and in no way wanted to hurt her feelings.

"Cedes, you know I really like you still…we had fun over the summer and I hoped to win you back when I came back to McKinley but you had moved on. And I moved on too. I'm really sorry, Mercedes. We're still friends, right?" he said to her.

A tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Of course, Sam Evans, we'll always be friends," she said, pushing up on her tiptoes to gently kiss him on the lips. He kissed her back because at one time he did feel something for her and this was his way of finally closing that chapter of his life.

From around the corner, Quinn witnessed nearly their entire exchange. She stood their clutching her gym bag, not able to hear them, but could see their actions. She saw them hug, then kiss. She couldn't take anymore and turned and ran the other way.

_Regionals_

Quinn's phone wouldn't stop playing _Moon River_; Sam constantly called and texted her all night, trying to find out why she had left, what was going on. She finally turned her phone off, not reading any of his messages, curled up on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

Sam paced his basement bedroom most of Friday night, trying to get a hold of her. He had driven by her house and her car was there; he even stopped and rung the doorbell but no one answered.

After Mercedes kissed him in the hall at school, he again told her he was sorry and he shouldn't be kissing her. She pouted a bit and headed back to the girls' dressing room. He finished changing and waited in the hallway until Mr. Schue said he _had _to leave because they were locking up so he asked Mr. Schue to check the dressing room but Quinn was gone. That's when he began calling and texting her phone with no response.

The last text he sent her that night read:

_We have a dance to do tmrw. We have a prom to go to. Number one, I love you and this is killing me._

She read that Saturday morning and cried again.

Later, at the school, she sat in front of the lighted mirror again. This time, her mouth was set; she paid no attention to the ruckus going on around her. She did her hair and applied her stage makeup and strapped on her shoes. For the millionth time, she told herself she'd do this without crying in front of Sam. She was a big girl. Through the night, she had realized he could make his own decisions and if he wanted to be with Mercedes (she had heard about the breakup with Shane) then that was his choice. Once again, she would move on. She stretched her legs and arms and core before the girls joined the boys backstage. She stood stoically listening to the group on stage perform.

"Hey…" he said behind her.

"Hello," she replied, not looking at him.

"Umm…this is for you," he said, tapping her shoulder.

She turned and he held a single red rose in his hands.

"I thought maybe you could, I dunno, put it in your hair or something," he said to her.

She looked at him finally, her puffy eyes, covered in stage makeup, meeting his puffy eyes.

"What's wrong, Quinn? Please…" he implored, taking both her hands in his and pulling her aside from the group. He could tell her walls were up again by the way she sucked in her breath, stood taller, and stared him down.

"I saw you two," she replied. "You and Cedes. Last night."

The look that passed over his face could only be described as crestfallen.

"It wasn't what it looked like Quinn, I promise you that…"

"It looked like something pretty important and I know Cedes and Shane broke up…" She fiddled with the stem of the rose, breaking it off, then slid it behind her ear and bobby pinned it into place. "I suppose we need to get ready to do this."

Still holding her hands, he licked his lips. He wasn't going to let her walk away from him again.

"I saw you hugging and kissing...what else could it be, Sam?" Quinn asked him suddenly, reminding herself not to cry. She pulled her hands away from him and planted them on her hips and waited for his reply.

"Yes, she hugged and kissed me...I told her I had moved on...I only have feelings for her as a friend, nothing else. I'm sorry you had to see that. What are _we_ though? When we kissed that day at rehearsal, my heart skipped a beat, Quinn...that never happened with Mercedes or anyone else for that matter. Only _you _can do that to me. I want us to be more than friends...that's what it could be..."

The group performing before New Directions finished their routine to thunderous applause and filed off stage, rushing past Sam and Quinn. He took her hands in his again; he pulled her a little closer to him.

"What do you want this to be?" he asked her, their lips nearly touching. She looked into his eyes, unable to deny her feelings for him.

The music began for the foxtrot. They had to take their places off stage, waiting on their cue, only minutes away. He stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her, holding her hands the entire time. She tried to concentrate on Brittany and Mike doing their dance but could only focus on Sam's even breathing behind her. She squeezed his hands and pulled his arms tighter around her. There was a brief time of transition while Santana and Puck took their places on stage to begin their paso doble. They were the only two watching off stage now. She felt his breath on the back of her neck, then his lips when he kissed her there.

"It's always been you, Quinn...I've always loved you," he whispered behind her ear. She shivered in his arms and turned to face him.

"I want this to be us," she said to him, pressing her lips against his. He smiled against her lips. They pulled away from one another, their cue to take the stage getting closer.

"Your lips are super red now," she said to him.

"I don't care..." he mumbled. She turned back around, and he pulled her close to him. "Are you ready for this?"

She nodded slightly. "I'm ready..."

The transition music started, and they strode to center stage to begin their waltz. They faced one another, and, for Quinn, she was not aware of the audience, the New Directions behind them, even Rachel's voice...she only saw Sam. He smiled at her, not bothering to look over her right shoulder but looked right at her. She did the same.

They moved effortlessly through their dance with Rachel adjusting the tempo as needed. For 2 minutes 30 seconds, it was just the two of them on stage, moving through their routine as if they had been born to do so. He lifted her with ease, and she floated through the air in his arms. At the end, they stood facing one another, foreheads touching, lips only an inch apart. They received a standing ovation but didn't even realize it. Rachel and Finn grabbed them and pulled them off stage with the others.

"Snap out of it, you two!" Rachel laughed. "Your dance was flawless! The rose is perfect!"

Sam still had Quinn's hand in his. He pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple. "You were perfect."

"We are perfect..." she replied.

_You shouldn't kiss me like this...  
>Unless you mean it like that...<br>_'_Cause I'll just close my eyes  
>And I won't know where I'm at...<em>

_We'll get lost on this dance floor..._  
><em>Spinnin' around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>  
><em>And around...<em>

_They're all watchin' us now…_  
><em>They think we're falling in love…<em>  
><em>They'd never believe we're just friends…<em>

_When you kiss me like this…_  
><em>I think you mean it like that…<em>  
><em>If you do baby kiss me again…<em>  
><em>Kiss me again…<em>

**Epilogue-10 years later**

"C'mon Sammi! We're gonna be late!" he hollered from the foot of the stairs. He checked his watch again, straightened his tie and flower on his lapel, and waited.

At the top of the stairs, Quinn appeared, holding the hand of whom Sam considered an angel. Dressed in a lavender silk dress, shining with sequins and ruffles, her honey blonde hair in a mass of curls all about her head, her lips ruby red and her eyes a piercing blue, she smiled down at him.

"I'm ready, Daddy," she said politely, so much like Quinn. She began walking down the stairs with Quinn following her. He picked her up when she reached him.

"I must be the luckiest man on earth," he said to her, kissing her cheek, then kissing Quinn.

"You two have fun...this is Daddy's first Daddy-Daughter dance...he won't know what to do," Quinn said, smiling at Sam over their daughter.

"I'll help him, Mommy," their daughter said returning her Dad's kiss. Sam smiled a knowing smile to Quinn and then posed with his daughter for a picture.

_xxxxx_

At the dance, Sam got them cups of punch and plates of cookies and they sat down to watch the others dance.

"You look beautiful, Samantha. I'm very honored to be your date tonight," Sam said to her.

She giggled, and he thought of Quinn. "You're silly, Daddy!"

"You are just as pretty as your mother...and I don't say that to just anyone," he said, smiling with her.

They watched other Dads dance awkwardly with their little girls and then Sam heard a song begin playing that he hadn't heard in years, a song that he thought he would grow to despise yet grew to love. He wiped his mouth off with a tiny napkin, then cleared his throat.

"May I have this dance, Samantha?" he asked her, offering her his hand. She giggled again.

"You may, Daddy," she said, placing her tiny hand in his.

He knew she wanted to be like the big girls at the dance and not be held, but he longed to pick her up and tell her all about him and Quinn dancing the waltz to _Moon River_, about how they came together as friends again and fell in love and welcomed her into their lives a couple years after he graduated, how he spun and lifted her mother to this song so many years ago and how they knew that night that it was meant to be and began planning their future together. Instead, he held her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kind of stooped over to be as close to eye level as possible with her.

"I'll try not to step on your toes, Sammi," he said, laughing.

"Oh Daddy!" she giggled again, blushing.

He spun her around and around, enjoying her laughter and smiles, without her knowing they were waltzing. He considered the thought: what if he had never learned the waltz with Quinn? He wouldn't be here now, dancing with their daughter. It was too much for him to even ponder, so he gave his attention to the little blonde-haired girl who shared his name and they danced the night away.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee...not its crummy storylines and characters or actors. I also do not own Toby Keith though I'm sure I'd find something fun to do with him! I love his song You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This so I decided to add some Fabrevans love to it. Hope you enjoy this. :-)**


	11. My Life

**MY LIFE**

Sam thought a lot about the song they chose to sing to the seniors. He had always been a fan of The Beatles and had liked the song _In My Life _before but now it took on a whole different meaning for him. He worked with the other underclassmen on the song after school the week of the assignment. Usually, they'd start singing and Tina would start tearing up, then Sugar. The guys would sit around and wait for them to pull it together and start again. Again, the tears. Finally, they just let the girls talk about it.

"Mike will just be in Chicago, Tina, it's not _that _far away," Blaine said, trying to calm her down.

"Of course you're happy! Kurt's staying!" she spat.

"I'm happy he's staying, yes, but I can't stand to see him disappointed...you wouldn't want to see Mike that sad, would you?"

"You two are tight...don't worry about him being off in Chicago," Joe added.

Sugar blew her nose. Sam thought she sounded like an angry honking goose.

"Why are you crying?" Rory asked her.

"It's just...this group has been great this year, even though I sing better than all of you. I'm still sad to see the seniors go," she replied, crying again. "Self-diagnosed Asperger's..."

Sam tried to contain his laughter. The girls were blowing things way out of proportion, he thought. He knew since living at the Hudson-Hummel residence that one could keep in contact with their friends and family easily via the internet. It was playing on his mind, too, about his future. Where would he spend his senior year? Could he still stay with Kurt? Would his folks want him to move back with them and start his senior year at a new school? If anything, the thought of not being at McKinley for one more year bothered him, not so much the seniors moving on with their lives.

He recalled the day Mercedes ran up to him, excited, spilling details all in a jumble: _indie label! youtube video! backup singer! california!_. He was stunned at first, then realized, piecing it all together, that the video he had uploaded to youtube of her singing _Disco Inferno_ had caught the attention of an indie record label who wanted her as a backup singer _in California_. She was going to Hollywood. Her parents had given her the okay and she would be leaving soon after graduation. He liked her; he really did. But, once the _Disco Inferno_ video went viral, she had returned to her diva-ish ways, which he was fine with...she'd need that attitude to make it in Hollywood. She kind of left him by the wayside, though, as graduation loomed. She had yet to ask him about his plans for next year, whether he'd be in Lima or back in Indiana with his parents. He did what a good boyfriend would do, though, because he was happy that she was happy...he bought probably too many Mylar balloons and decorated her locker for her on the day she was making her announcement to their friends. That day, he made it all about her.

He heard about the other's plans: Rachel going to New York City, Finn enlisting in the military, Puck taking his pool-cleaning business out west, Santana giving up her scholarship and going to New York City too, Brittany not graduating-no big surprise there, and Quinn going to Yale. Probably, out of all of them, he was proudest of Quinn. To him, she was the one who had come the farthest...dealing with her teen pregnancy and family issues, going through her rebellious stage and then being accepted to an Ivy League school, being in a horrible accident and bouncing back stronger than ever. He tried to talk to her on a couple occasions but she would be with Joe or Artie or the girls. He could never get her alone.

So, the day he had to sit in front of the seniors in the choir room and sing The Beatles' tune, he looked at Mercedes and smiled...she looked sad, as if it were finally hitting her that she was leaving...he looked at Quinn, who was smiling at Joe, then at Artie, then up to Puck sitting behind her. She never looked at him though.

_xxxxx_

Mercedes' send-off was nothing like Rachel's. Kurt and Sam went to her house to help her load up her car. Puck was already there; he was riding with her to California. Mercedes and Kurt were crying and clinging to one another while Sam and Puck did all the loading. He closed the trunk and saw that Tina, Mike, Artie, Rory, Sugar, Quinn, and Joe had showed up to say goodbye. There were more tears and hugs and laughter until it was just him and Mercedes left standing next to her car.

"You know I'll always remember you," she said quietly, looking down at him holding her hands. She took a deep breath. "Don't wait on me, Sam. Enjoy your senior year."

"Who could forget _White Chocolate_?" he joked, trying to make light of the situation. He understood what she meant, though. They were breaking up. "I won't forget you either."

He kissed her one last time and watched her drive off with Puckerman. He walked home with the others, hands shoved in his pockets, lost in his own thoughts.

Quinn sidled up next to him and slipped her arm through his.

"So Sam? Are you staying in Lima or are you going back home?"

Inwardly, he laughed. Someone finally asked him and it was definitely not who he expected.

"I don't know yet, Quinn. I guess I hope I get to stay here," he replied, turning to look at her.

"I hope you get to stay too," she said, smiling brightly in the sun. "You and Joe could have an awesome bromance!"

She laughed and so did he.

_xxxxx_

He got to stay in Lima for his senior year. Since Kurt was not going to New York, the Hudson-Hummels said he was still welcome at their home and Sam's parents okayed it. He did go hang out with them for a couple weeks during the summer. While in Indiana, he heard from Mercedes once; she and Puck had settled into a tiny apartment in Los Angeles and her new job was going well. Even Puck was working...he had found a job with a pool-cleaning business there. When Sam got back to Lima, he found the sleepy little town just that...sleepy. Kurt was busy with Blaine most of the time, and, even if they were home, he hated being the third wheel. Mike and Tina were always busy, squeezing in what time they had together before he left for Chicago. He hung out with Artie some and worked out with some of the guys from the football team. He sometimes wondered what Quinn and Joe were up to.

One day, he decided to take a run around Lima, to change up his routine. It was mid July and hot. He started out in his shorts and a tank top but soon even the tank top was too much and he stripped it off and clutched it in his hand as he ran. He made it to the park in the center of town and was jogging around the paths, thinking with every step. Thinking about his senior year and what he wanted to do when he graduated, thinking about football, thinking about that new Madden game for the PlayStation, thinking about girls. He saw a familiar blonde sitting in the shade on one trip around and forced himself to go around again even though he knew he should be heading back to the Hudson-Hummel residence. On the second time around, he slowed his pace to make sure it was who he thought it was. She was reading, wearing one of her trademark sundresses, and appeared to be alone. He stopped at a water fountain for a drink and to splash himself off, put his tank back on, and walked over to her.

"Hey stranger," he said to her, hands on his hips. "You got any room under that tree?" She was sitting against a large oak tree. She smiled up to him, hearing his voice, shading her eyes from the sun.

"Sure Sam! You're out running in this heat?" she asked, setting her novel down.

"Yeah, you know, gotta keep in shape," he replied. "You're reading? It's summer break, Quinn!"

She laughed and glanced at her book. "I find Marie Antoinette very fascinating any time. I heard you get to stay in Lima! I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or pity you!" She laughed again. "Have you heard from Cedes or Puck? How're they doing?"

"Yeah, I get to stay...I'd say that's 50/50 on staying in Lima...some good, some not so good," he laughed too, a bit awkwardly. "Um, Cedes and Puck are doing fine in LA. She's singing and he's cleaning pools, I guess." Sam looked around since there was a lull in their conversation. "Where's Joe?"

"Oh, well…" Quinn looked away from Sam, off into the park. "Joe and I parted ways…since I'm leaving for Yale soon."

"Oh…" Sam said, bringing his knees up and resting his elbows on them. "That's probably for the best, ya know, long-distance relationships and all that."

"Yeah…that's what I thought," she answered.

"So, what've you been doing this summer?" he asked her.

"Mostly reading, mostly the classics since I'll have to read them for class at Yale..."

"What are you going to, like, major in or whatever?"

"Probably something that has to do with English lit...not sure what I'll do with the degree though," she laughed. "They have a Glee Club, ya know."

"Really?"

"Yes...there are actual auditions for it."

"You should try out for it then," he said, nudging her a little with his sweaty shoulder.

She laughed again. "I'm sure it's tough to get in to, much tougher than _our _Glee Club, but I might give it a go."

They sat there in awkward silence again.

"Um, I wanted to tell you congratulations about getting into Yale, just could never get you alone," he said finally.

She looked at him, as if she was examining his innermost thoughts. "You know you can always stop by my house, Sam. My door's always open for you."

"Thanks, Quinn," he said, staring at his hands. "We've had some pretty crazy times, right?"

"Yes, yes we have," she agreed, nudging him back.

He laughed a little, then pushed himself up off the ground. "I need to keep moving...good talking to ya, Quinn."

She smiled and squinted, looking up at him. "You too, Sam."

He jogged off to the path, then broke into a full run all the way back to the Hudson-Hummels, thinking only of Quinn the entire way.

_xxxxx_

The next few days, he adapted his running course again...through the park...but the blonde wasn't under the tree reading. This played on his mind. _Was he going to let her leave Lima without saying goodbye? She said her door was always open to him. Maybe she was busy saying goodbye to Joe? _He knew he was going to drive himself bonkers thinking about her constantly so finally, after a week after not seeing her at the park, he changed his route again and jogged by her house. Her car was in the drive, but he kept running. That happened for another three days until it was nearly the end of July and he knew he had to do something...she'd be leaving soon.

Finally, instead of running his entire route and jogging past her house last, he jogged directly to her house. He slowed down to a walk about a block away to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his face. As he approached her house, he noticed she was actually outside, sitting on her porch with a book.

"Can I borrow a glass of water?" he asked, causing her to jump a bit.

"Sam! I didn't see you," she laughed, closing the book. "It is a hot day...sure, how 'bout some lemonade?"

"Thanks...that sounds even better," he replied, taking a seat on her porch as she went inside her home. He picked up her novel and read the title, _Madame Tussaud_. _Why the hell does she read this stuff and over summer br-_

"Here ya go," she said, coming out the door with two glasses. He quickly set her novel down and took the glass of lemonade. He sipped it and puckered; it was very tart. She giggled at the face he made.

"I tend to add a lot of lemon juice to it, not too much sugar," she said, sipping a tiny bit of hers. He nodded in agreement. "I see you were looking at my book...interested?"

"Um, no...just curious," he replied, smiling.

"I am too, about France during those days," she told him. She had sat down on the porch swing and pushed it lightly with her feet.

"I haven't seen you in the park..." he said.

"I've been around; you just haven't looked in the right spots," she said coyly, sipping her lemonade, and watching him over the rim of her glass.

_Is she playing with me?_ he thought, his mind going into overdrive. He kept his eyes on her. _Has __**she**__ been watching __**me**__?_

He gulped the lemonade with this realization and sputtered.

"Who says I've been looking?" he stuttered.

She just smiled at him. She picked up her novel and patted the swing next to her.

"C'mere Sam," she said quietly.

Not sure of what she was up to, he set his glass down, got up slowly, and then sat down next to her, careful not to touch her with his sweaty body.

She placed her hand over his on his knee.

"Sam...it might be too late now but I've always wanted to say 'I'm sorry' about the messy breakup last year," she began.

"Aw, c'mon Quinn, you were going through a weird time or somethin'," he interrupted.

"No, Sam...I felt really bad about how I treated you then...all I could see was that damn prom queen crown...I'm really, truly very sorry," she said, squeezing his hand in hers.

He looked from their hands to her. She was staring at him, her lips slightly parted, then she blinked slowly and began leaning toward him.

"Really, Q, it's okay...really..." The last word he said was cut off by her lips touching his, slowly and hesitantly. At first, he didn't know what to do...he had been yearning for this, it was undeniable, but he was still shocked that it was actually happening. He was so shocked, in fact, that he momentarily forgot how to kiss back. He blinked his eyes open for a split second, saw her closed eyes and flushed cheeks, and suddenly the passion raced through him for her.

He reached up to grasp the back of her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, and pushed her into the kiss. She whimpered ever so slightly when he did so, and he held his breath. The gentle glide of the swing had stopped as they turned their bodies toward each other. He snaked his other hand around her waist, sensing the urgency coming off her in waves.

They explored each other's tongues...something that hadn't been done _at all _when they actually dated. Quinn's voice hitched with her breathing as she turned her head to deepen their kiss. He felt her hand still on his knee, gripping him there, and her other hand had found its way to his upper arm. He felt the tingle in his groin...one that he was very familiar with as he and his hand had been on very close terms that summer...then felt the swelling of his cock against his leg. She must've sensed something too because her hand on his knee started creeping upward to between his legs.

He had to take a breath...barely leaving her mouth...resting their foreheads together. Her breathing was jagged, as well. He felt her hand at his upper thigh and finally her palm pressed against his hard member. He couldn't help the low groan that escaped his lips.

"God, Quinn, what're we doing?" he mumbled to her.

The happy tune of bells from an ice cream truck making its way down Quinn's street caused them both to pause and look up at it.

"Something that should've been done ages ago..." she said suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the swing and into her house.

Inside, she slammed the door shut and pushed him up against it. He was absolutely stunned and pretty much let her do what she wanted, considering he had the hugest boner ever.

She pressed herself up against him at the door and continued kissing him, running her hands up his belly and pushing his shirt up and over his head. She paused for a moment, looking down at his groin, then gently touched him there.

"This is what I do to you?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, dumbfounded. "What do I-uh-what do I do to you?"

She smiled a little and bit her lip. She reached under her dress and slipped off her panties, tossing them over her shoulder. She took his hand and put it squarely between her legs.

"_That _is what you do to me..." she said, watching his expression change when his fingers met her smooth wet pussy. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he sucked in his breath. He slid his fingers through her wet folds, his dick getting harder by the second.

He turned her around and backed her up against the door and crashed his lips into hers.

Taking the initiative, he mumbled against her mouth, "Push my shorts off." She did so eagerly, pumping his cock a couple times.

"Pull your dress up..." he commanded her, sucking at her neck. She moaned at his voice and reached for the hem of her dress. He looked down at her nakedness and licked his lips.

"How-" he swallowed hard. "How bad do you want me?"

"So bad, Sam...now...I want you _now_..." she whispered.

He looked her in the eye before mumbling _'kay_ and kissing her. He found it hard to believe he was about to _fuck _Quinn Fabray but there he was, standing in front of her naked from the waist down, his cock fully hard and waiting on her.

He lifted her up easily, his hands under her bare thighs, and let her adjust herself on top of him, guiding his cock to her heat. He felt her wetness against him, and he pressed her against the door again to get stable footing, then jutted his hips up to her. He pushed into her entrance, gasping at how tight she felt around him.

"Oh!" The word fell from her lips when he pushed into her, and she sucked in her breath. He looked at her to make sure he wasn't hurting her, their bodies jerking together.

They squirmed around a bit and got into a quick rhythm. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, and she was hanging onto his shoulders, her breath hot and heavy next to his ear. She was running her fingers through his hair, tugging him sometimes. He was moving her fast on top of his cock; his eyes closed to what was happening.

Her breathing became gasping, and he felt her clench around him, whispering his name into his ear when she climaxed.

"Oh god...Q...god..." he mumbled, stumbling backward to the staircase and lowering them down to the steps. He was pretty sure his legs would give out when he orgasmed.

She balanced herself on top of him and let him lean back on the steps while she rode him. He wanted this to last forever...whatever it was they were doing. She leaned over him whispering to him _you feel so good in me Sam, I'm gonna cum again_...she did climax again, moaning through it, nipping at his lips.

She kept moving on him; the wetness now increased between them. He was gripping the banister rail with one hand and her with his other hand. He kept thrusting up to her, banging into her hard and fast now. His senses were overwhelmed...her whispering in his ear, the touch of her lips, the smell of the sex between them, the taste of her tongue, just seeing her flushed and sweaty face mere inches from his own...his body was barreling toward his orgasm.

"I'm...Quinn, I'm..." he tried to tell her but the feeling rocked through him, encompassing all of him. He reached between them, the orgasm was so strong, and held the base of his cock as he exploded up into her.

He wanted her to keep rocking on him; it felt so good. She did, slowing herself down, gasping and trying to kiss him all at once.

"How do you feel?" she asked him, breathlessly.

He looked at her, stunned.

"I think I blacked out..." he said finally, making her smile. "What the hell just happened?"

She kissed him lightly on the lips and moved off of him, sitting on the step next to him, smoothing her dress down over her thighs. "I dunno, Sam...I just...don't know..."

"Oh my god, Quinn...oh my god...you're going to Yale! We just did _this_! Oh my god..." The realization hit him that she was leaving soon and all he wanted was _her_. He sat up and shimmied his shorts and briefs back up. "We just did _that_ and you're _leaving_?"

She pushed herself up to sitting also. "It was something we both needed, Sam..."

She stepped off the stairs to go find her underwear. He sat there in disbelief.

"So, what does this mean?" he asked, watching her slide the panties up her legs, then smooth her dress down again. She came over to him on the steps.

"I think it means closure for us, Sam..." she said, sounding sad though.

"Closure? _Closure?_ You've got to be kidding me..." He stood up and picked up his shirt off the floor. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to her. "This was not _closure_ for me, Quinn Fabray. This was _something_. I wanted _this_ to be something." He punctuated the word _this _by pointing to her and to himself. "And now you're telling me it's nothing...enjoy your time at Yale, Quinn."

He opened the door and stormed out onto the porch. She stood at the door and watched him break into a full run and disappear down her street.

_xxxxx_

Two weeks later, she was packed and ready to leave for Yale. Her mother took her to the bus station in Lima to catch the bus to the Amtrak station in Sandusky where she'd take the train to New Haven, Connecticut. She had not heard from Sam in the past 2 weeks, though she had seen him jogging through the park and by her house, almost daily. She didn't know if he saw her or not. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a big mistake by leaving.

He _had _been watching her. He found her secret hiding spot in the park and made sure to jog that route when he could. He'd jog past her house and feel her eyes on him. He couldn't bring himself to face her though. What would he say? Beg her to stay? That was out of the question. He had never been so confused by a girl before. Kurt told him when she was leaving and encouraged him to at least say goodbye to her. Sam just couldn't do it though. The song he listened to most those 2 weeks was The Beatles tune they had sung a few months ago and somehow it all made sense to him. He loved her but couldn't find a way to tell her.

Quinn got into her mother's car, looking up and down her street for any sign of Sam, but he was nowhere to be seen. He watched her leave from a good distance away, wiping away a few errant tears, and then picked up his jog, running through the park. He thought of her with every step he ran and knew he couldn't let it end with not telling her how he felt.

_xxxxx_

She was happy with her dorm room at Yale. It was a small bedroom that was part of a suite and her suitemates were really nice girls. She was glad to have her own private space, though, to retreat to. There was room for a twin bed, a desk and chair, and a dresser. She had a closet and beautiful windows that looked out onto the courtyard of the dorm. She left the walls white and accented with navy blue. She unpacked her belongings and set things up the way she wanted to, then sat on her bed, wondering what to do next.

There were tons of freshmen activities going on that she knew she should participate in during the week before classes began, but she couldn't bring herself to join in. She did take whatever book she was reading and wander around campus and found various trees to read under, sometimes just daydreaming, mostly about that hot day spent with Sam and why she left Lima without saying anything more to him. She thought them being together in that intimate way would bring closure to whatever odd relationship they had but, for her, it hadn't. In fact, she felt worse than ever about it and couldn't stop thinking of him.

_xxxxx_

He exited the train and hailed a cab. He gave the directions to the driver, which Kurt had given him. Thank god for Kurt and his knowing everything about Quinn and her going to Yale and then being willing to share his knowledge with Sam. Before he could think any further, the cab stopped at Calhoun College, Sam paid the driver, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and stared up at the imposing building in front of him, people hurriedly passing him by. He entered through the gateway and looked for the main entrance.

"Hey Quinnie!" Quinn sat up on her bed. She lay her book aside and waited for Liz, her suitemate, to come to her room.

"Yeah? I'm in here," she answered, stifling a yawn.

"You've got a visitor!" Liz called to her.

Quinn stood up and glanced in the mirror. A visitor? She wasn't expecting anyone, didn't know anyone on campus yet except her suitemates. She checked her appearance and wondered if this was just a prank. She left her bedroom and flounced out to the common room of the suite.

"Really, you guys? I'm not-" she said, stopping mid sentence. Her eyes fell on one Sam Evans, standing awkwardly at the door to the suite.

He tried to wave at her a bit. "Um, hi…"

"Wow…Sam!" She broke into a smile and ran to hug him. They embraced each other tightly. "How did you…?"

"Kurt told me how to get to you," Sam answered, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, feeling her small body breathe against his again.

They parted somewhat awkwardly and Quinn quickly introduced him to her suitemates, all agog at this handsome boy that Quinn had never spoken of. She showed Sam her room in the suite and then suggested they go somewhere to talk.

They walked to a coffee shop near the dorm and settled down at a table away from the crowd to talk.

"I can't believe you're here, you're really here," she said, beaming. "What about school?"

"I go back next week…I've gotta catch the train back tomorrow…" he said quietly.

"Oh…"

"Quinn, I just, I just couldn't get you outta my mind…I had to talk to you…in person…there's something I need to tell you…" he said in a rush.

She looked at him, suddenly worried.

"Is this bad news?"

He looked back at her, confused. "No…god, no…Quinn…" He picked up her hand. "I love you so much."

Her smile returned, and she blushed and stared at their hands together on the table.

"You love me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, yes I do, so much…I had to tell you…in person…I'm sorry I didn't stop you before you left…I watched you leave and cried like a big freakin' baby…"

"You saw me leave?"

"Yes…I watched you go and I knew it was the stupidest thing I'd ever done…let you walk away from me…" he told her. "So here I am…to tell you that I love you and I'm pretty sure I always have."

"Sam…you…" She started crying softly. "You know me."

He scooted around to sit right next to her. "I hope to get to know you even better…I know it won't be easy with you here and me there…but it's just a year, right?"

She melded into him, nodding.

"And tonight, Quinn, please stay with me tonight…" he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. He suddenly chuckled. "I can't believe I'm sitting in New Haven, Connecticut, with the girl of my dreams!"

She looked up to him and kissed him.

_xxxxx_

They spent the night together at a nearby bed and breakfast, the room only containing a bed and other furniture…no TV, no internet connections, no interruptions. They spent the night curled up together in the bed, talking of their future together, making love, only stopping to have dinner. They decided they could make it work and see each other at least once a month during the school year and then Sam would move there in the fall and work and go to school at the community college while Quinn finished her studies at Yale. They would rent a small one-bedroom apartment and eventually he'd make good on his promise to her and they'd get married. Their dreams were lofty, and they knew that but they promised one another they'd make it work. Sleep came easily that night for them both, lying close enough to each other to feel one other breathe.

In the morning, Quinn went with Sam to the train station and saw him off. They had made plans for Sam to visit her again within a month, then she'd come to Lima over fall break. They were happy with their plans and with each other. They kissed and hugged before he got on the train, and she waved at him as he pulled out of the station.

_xxxxx_

School started for both, and they were both busy. As they had promised each other, though, they kept in touch nearly daily and Sam came to visit a month later.

It was when Quinn visited him in Lima over fall break that things changed. He could tell by the look on her face when she stepped down from the train and met his eyes. She fell into his arms. He stroked her hair and whispered it'd be alright. The signs had all been there recently…she had not been feeling well, was super tired and cranky, and she told him a couple days ago that she had skipped her period but chalked it up to stress from being at Yale and away from him.

He had assumed she had been on birth control pills but had assumed wrong. He knew they were playing with fire by having sex and him not using protection; it was a given. He just never thought it'd happen so soon.

"Have you done a test?" he asked her in his car.

She shook her head _no_. He drove them to a Walgreen's and picked up an EPT.

At her house, he sat on her bed while she peed on the stick in her bathroom. She came out and sat down next to him. He held her hand as they waited.

After a few minutes, they both went into the bathroom and looked at the test. He hugged her again and let her cry quietly into his shoulder.

"We just need to change our plans, Quinn," he said, rubbing her back. He was trying to keep calm for her sake, yet he was freaking out inside.

They lay down on her bed and did just that, talked about what their future now looked like. She told him there was no way she was going through another adoption; giving up Beth had been too traumatic for her. And an abortion was simply out of the question. After thinking about the time and how long she had been feeling sick, they determined she got pregnant the very first time they were together.

They told their parents during Quinn's visit and endured a lot of upset people, but they stood by their decisions. At the end of Sam's semester, he was moving to New Haven, Connecticut. He'd take his GED test and find a job hopefully and be there for Quinn. He had been through a lot during his few years of life but sending her back to school that fall was the most difficult thing he had done so far.

_xxxxx_

"Quinn, I'm right here with you, you're doing great…you're almost done…" Sam said to her, letting her grip his hand as tightly as she could. She glared at him, through sweat and possibly tears.

"Sam, this…_hurts_!" she cried, grimacing in pain once again. "I need something to take the edge off…"

An hour later, the room was quiet, and Quinn was finally able to relax and cope with the contractions after having an epidural. Sam sat by her bedside, sometimes massaging her shoulders and back, sometimes just stroking her arm, sometimes kissing her temple. They had prepared for this day but he was still scared shitless.

Quinn had just finished her first year at Yale. Sam had been there the past few months, working at a warehouse and living in a small apartment. He had passed his GED before moving to Connecticut. On somewhat of a whim, they tied the knot on Valentine's Day at the courthouse. It was Quinn's idea; she knew Sam would never forget their anniversary when it fell on the most romantic day of the year.

They had all they needed for the baby, including a bassinet in the corner of their bedroom at the apartment. There were a lot of resources for Quinn since she was a student, including healthcare for her and the baby and the Women, Infants, and Children program. That was one less worry for them. At first, both sets of parents were completely against the idea of them becoming young parents but once Sam moved to Connecticut and they got married and Quinn's due date drew near, all of them had been out to visit. And, as Quinn labored, all their parents sat in the waiting room.

A nurse came in to check Quinn and said she was ready to start pushing. Quinn looked at Sam a little frightened. She remembered this part and this part made her anxious.

"You can do it…I have faith in you…" Sam said, standing up next to her, bracing himself for what was about to happen.

She held his hand and pushed through the next contraction.

Three pushes later, the doctor handed her their new son. Quinn and Sam both laughed and cried at the funny creature lying on her chest; he had lots of dark blonde hair and beautiful full lips and was screaming at his introduction to the world. After the nurse cleaned him up and took his vital signs (6 pounds 6 ounces, 19 inches long), she swaddled him in a blanket and handed him to Sam.

He kissed him firstly, then talked to him. "Hello, Samuel Tristan Evans…I'm your daddy…"

_xxxxx_

A few weeks later, after getting Tristan home and settling into a routine, there were some nights where the routine just didn't work. Most nights, Sam got up with the baby to let Quinn get her sleep. While rocking Tristan in his arms and going through all the lullabies he could remember, he found his thoughts drifting back to him and Quinn and how this child had been conceived. He recalled jogging around Lima just to try to catch a glimpse of the blonde girl and how he had listened to that Beatles tune over and over through his headphones. He began humming the song, trying to remember the words, and Tristan calmed down for him. The baby looked up at him with his big eyes, entranced by Sam's voice.

_There are places I'll remember,  
>All my life, though some have changed,<br>Some forever, not for better,  
>Some have gone and some remain,<em>

_All these places have their moments_  
><em>With lovers and friends, I still can recall,<em>  
><em>Some are dead and some are living,<em>  
><em>In my life, I've loved them all.<em>

_But of all these friends and lovers,_  
><em>There is no one compares with you,<em>  
><em>And these memories lose their meaning,<em>  
><em>When I think of love as something new.<em>

_Though I know I'll never lose affection,_  
><em>For people and things that went before,<em>  
><em>I know I'll often stop and think about them,<em>  
><em>In my life, I love you more.<em>  
><em>In my life- I love you more...<em>

In those late-night singing sessions, the love he felt for his baby deepened, a love he never knew was possible to experience. When he'd climb into bed exhausted next to a snoozing Quinn and she'd curl up next to him, he thought there was no way he could love someone more than those two. During the day, when Quinn was handling a fussy Tristan or he was changing yet another diaper, he'd smile at her, kiss the baby, and think _this is my life_ and couldn't be happier.


	12. Reunion

_**Reunion**_

_**I sit here surrounded by people and lights,**_  
><em><strong>Alone with my drink at the bar.<strong>_  
><em><strong>You've been here forever, so clear in my mind,<strong>_  
><em><strong>I just don't know where you are.<strong>_

_**I know I'll find you but girl 'til I do,**_  
><em><strong>This is my love song for you…<strong>_

Fifteen-year reunions sucked, or at least Sam Evans thought so. Everyone was at that weird age…still trying to act like they did when they graduated but too old to pull it off. Most of them were married with kids so getting shit-faced drunk was a bit out of the question or they had a high profile career and couldn't risk cutting loose in public, in this age of cell phone cameras always snapping away. Then there was the group of people who just didn't give a shit, got drunk as skunks, and enjoyed the evening.

There was all the schmoozing, the catching up to do, the pretend smiles, air kisses, and hugs. The room reeked of hundreds of different perfumes and colognes and alcohol and smoke…33-year-olds trying to recapture 18 again.

This was the first reunion he had been to since graduating from William McKinley High School. He missed five years and ten years due to other obligations but had heard from Mike and Tina that he really hadn't missed that much at all. The one person he cared to catch up with had not been there either.

Of course, the party was being held at Breadstix. Finn and Rachel, married now for 14 years, had requested it be a joint reunion, classes of 2012 and 2013, and somehow that idea flew. The place was packed. Breadstix had updated in the last 15 years, adding a large dance floor and lounge area, where Sam was presently located. At bars, when alone, he always chose a seat _at_ the bar, in the corner if possible, to watch the action and make a quick get-away if a brawl broke out. He had spent way too much time in bars over the last 15 years.

"You made it!" a sweet female voice rang out behind him, then he was engulfed in tiny arms. He found himself being hugged by Tina Chang-Chang, Mike right behind her. "It's so good to see you again, in person!"

He pecked her on the cheek and smiled. It was good to see them too. They made him grab his gin and tonic and follow them to a table near the dance floor. They weren't alone. The whole group was there…almost.

_xxxxx_

_**Let's hold hands on the porch swing, under the moon,  
>While the wind through the willows plays us a tune.<br>We can lie on a blanket, out back in the yard,  
>And wish for our future on a faraway star.<strong>_

Against all odds, it worked…somehow. It was the end of Quinn's senior year, the end of Sam's junior year, and he worked up the nerve to ask her out after their big Nationals win in Glee Club. It had been on his mind for some time, before Regionals even. Then she was in that awful car accident and he couldn't bring himself to even speak to her…he felt so ashamed. He wasn't sure why, maybe like he let her down in some way, he didn't know. He watched her regain her strength and ability to walk, then watched her befriend the guy with the weird dreads. He even saw her hug Puckerman right after the Nationals performance. He didn't let it stop him, though. He stopped by her house the weekend before graduation and asked her out and she said _yes_.

They spent the entire summer together, every moment they could, until she packed a couple bags and got on the train to go to Yale. He waved until he couldn't see her anymore, then sat on a bench at the station and cried, knowing how badly he was going to miss her.

_**You'll feel the passion as time after time,  
>I press your sweet lips to mine…<br>Then we'll dance to the radio, right up 'til dawn,  
>'Til you drift off to dream in my arms.<strong>_

They had renewed their love that summer, in so many ways. They became friends again, talking and laughing and singing and getting so much closer than they had been before. On more nights than he could remember, they lay together on a blanket in her backyard, gazing at the billions of stars above them and they'd wonder about the future, _their _future. They became lovers; it was bound to happen. It was a level of closeness he shared with not another soul on Earth, but her. The first time happened beneath the stars one muggy night, and, as he lay over her, sweating and trembling and his heart ready to burst with emotion, she brushed his hair from his eyes and whispered she loved him…it was in the stars.

_**You might be hundreds or more miles away,  
>Or you might be just down the street.<br>But there'll be a hunger deep in your eyes  
>That I'll recognize when we meet.<strong>_

Quinn went to Yale and Sam started his senior year. All the promises and plans they made during that magical summer faded into memories as time and distance took its toll. Too many arguments, too much silence…Sam did things he wasn't proud of and he knew Quinn did too. She tried to patch things up, but he balked. He tried to patch things up, but she balked. It was too easy, meet a nice girl and forget about Quinn for a few hours, then a few days, a few weeks, a few months. Before he knew it, Mike and Tina were emailing him that Quinn was graduating from Yale and taking a job in Denver. Why Denver? To follow her boyfriend, a newly minted lawyer. When Sam heard that news, he seriously re-evaluated what he was doing with his life…Columbus State Community College, studying marketing. He had one more year to go and he'd have a bachelor's degree to get people to buy shit. What a life.

Except when that one year was over, Sam Evans found himself a job in Denver.

He heard from Mike and Tina that Quinn was still in Denver, working on her master's degree in educational administration…no longer with the boyfriend. It wasn't too long before Sam received a call from Quinn herself, just saying hi she said. He knew Tina was behind that.

They met for coffee and of course it was awkward…how else would it play out? It was like their own personal reunion. She looked so much the same, yet somehow different, older, wiser. Their meeting was sad, though, not what Sam expected. There was so much between them, some good, some bad, way too much to work out in one meeting.

"We were so young, Sam, so very young…" she had said, running a finger around the rim of her cup. "Maybe it wasn't so much in the stars…"

That stung. He made an excuse to leave. They didn't meet up in Denver again.

He met a woman at the company where he worked, a marketing executive. Their friendship blossomed into a fiery affair. When she asked him to relocate to Savannah, Georgia, with her, he said goodbye to Denver and didn't look back.

Quinn found out through Mike and Tina where he had gone. Once she finished her master's degree in educational administration, she accepted a position as the assistant principal at the Chatham County Prep School, located near Savannah Georgia. She had been there for a year before she heard anything about Sam.

Tina told her he had broken up with his paramour; she had moved on in the marketing world. Sam had taken her place at his company but did a lot of traveling. What Tina didn't know was that the traveling helped take his mind off missing Quinn Fabray.

Quinn did a little detective work during her downtime and learned where Sam worked. She never did catch even a glimpse of him any of the times she drove by.

_This is not stalking, just checking on an old friend_, she'd tell herself.

When the ten-year reunion rolled around, Quinn took a deep breath and called the number Tina had given her for Sam. She told Tina she'd go to the reunion if Sam went to the reunion. She reached his voicemail when she called him.

"Hi, um, Sam...this is, um, well, it's Quinn...I was just wondering if you were going to the tenth reunion in Ohio? I thought maybe we could..." His voicemail cut her off then but she didn't know it. "Share a plane" was what she had said, "call me if you're interested." He got the message while he was at a convention in San Diego but didn't return her call. He also didn't make it to the reunion. He was still nursing wounds from their meeting in Denver.

A promotion at his company found him a couple years later in Cleveland at the actual headquarters. There were numerous one-night stands, one-month stands, even a couple multiple-year stands, but there was no one who measured up to Quinn in his eyes. She was the measuring stick by which he judged the women he met and no one compared. He knew it in his heart. Mike and Tina kept him updated in a roundabout way about what she was doing with her life...not married, no kids, much like him...married to her job.

For him, no one smiled like Quinn. No one laughed like Quinn. No one was as smart as Quinn. No one had eyes that with just one look made him fall in love like Quinn. No one _got _him like Quinn. No one was Quinn...and he knew he had made a mistake.

_xxxxx_

Quinn finally asked Tina not to tell her about Sam; she needed to get over him. She focused on her work in Savannah as the assistant principal at the prep school and loved working with those kids as if they were her own. Sometimes, she found herself wondering what her own kids would be like, but she never could picture the father. She dated men, upstanding men of the community, smart, funny, handsome men, a few of whom she felt passionately for...but something was always missing...that feeling that they were meant to be, the feeling she had felt with Sam Evans. She thought sometimes of their meeting in Denver, the hurt look in his eyes when she said maybe it wasn't in the stars. After she said that, he had abruptly ended their meeting, stood and pecked her on the cheek, and left in a rush. She felt in that instant that what she said was wrong, deeply in her soul, as he walked briskly from the cafe. She wanted to run after him, hold him, and make him realize she was wrong, wrong, wrong and that they were meant to be together...but she stopped herself. She reminded herself again that in high school they had been young, just kids...it was what she had been telling herself for years.

He never returned her call about the tenth reunion and she decided then that she needed to get him out of her head. Soon after the tenth reunion, she took a principal position in Cincinnati. She focused on her work and eventually became assistant superintendent of that school district. To celebrate that move up the ladder, she vacationed in Puerto Vallarta with her boyfriend of 3 years. She expected a proposal during that vacation but one never came. When they returned home, she broke it off with him.

Two weeks later, she received the invitation in the mail about the fifteenth reunion at McKinley.

_xxxxx_

He held the postcard invite in his hand. _Please join us for fun fun fun! It's the 14th and 15th Wm McKinley High School Class Reunion! All from the Class of 2012 and Class of 2013 welcome! _He knew he'd be receiving a call soon.

Tina called him the next day to ask if he was going to the reunion. He said no, he'd be busy that weekend. Then she told him Quinn was planning on going. He hung up with Tina and called his secretary to change his plans.

_xxxxx_

The party was going strong. People were dancing to _Friday_ and _I'm Sexy And I Know It _and_ Teenage Dream_, drunk, having fun. He watched them for some time from their table of old friends. He had seen pictures of Finn and Rachel's kids, of course Mike and Tina's kids (he was a godfather after all), Artie and Sugar's kids, Kurt and Blaine's adopted kids, and Puck's kids (the guy just did not know how to use a condom; he had four babymamas). He saw pictures of Mercedes performing in Las Vegas and Brittany and Santana's civil ceremony. Sadly, he had no pictures to share with anyone...just the fact he had moved up in the marketing world somehow. And still no sign of Quinn Fabray.

After watching his friends stumble drunkenly over one another for an hour on the dance floor, trying to relive their glory days, Sam made his way back to the bar. He was nursing his gin and tonic, the way he usually did on business trips so he wouldn't wind up doing something foolish. He sat down at his usual spot and ordered a fresh drink.

"I was wrong...it's always been in the stars, Sam," a familiar voice said behind him. His breath caught in his throat, and he turned slowly to face her.

He looked older to her, just grownup now. His hair was cut in a short decent style and was not as blonde as it had been in high school, and he wore navy blue slacks and a silk baby blue button-up shirt. When he first looked at her, she saw sadness, then that lifted and his eyes lit up.

Her hazel eyes had not changed, yet they were already teary. Her blonde hair was shoulder-length now, styled professionally. She wore a pale green, form-fitting yet professional, knee-length dress, accentuating all her curves. She held her sensible clutch in front of her, nervously. Her left foot was turned inward just slightly, enough so that Sam noticed and knew it had taken all her courage to approach him. Once the shock had worn off a bit, he smiled, his usual lopsided smile that she had missed so much.

He gently took her by her elbows and pulled her in close to him, folding her into his arms, where she was always meant to be.

"I'm sorry too..." he whispered into her hair. He moved his hands to her back, holding her tightly against him.

She pulled away from him a little, enough to rest her forehead on his and look into his eyes. He saw passion there, familiarity, love...his _life_.

"All these years, I've missed you so..." she said to him.

Slowly, he leaned up to her, meeting her lips with his.

_xxxxx_

_**It might take hours or it might take years,  
>But this is the song you will hear…<strong>_

**Let's hold hands on the porch swing, under the moon,**  
><strong>While the wind through the willows plays us a tune.<strong>  
><strong>We can lie on a blanket, out back in the yard,<strong>  
><strong>And wish for our future on a faraway star.<strong>

**You'll feel the passion as time after time,**  
><strong>I press your sweet lips to mine…<strong>  
><strong>Then we'll dance to the radio, right up 'til dawn,<strong>  
><strong>'Til you drift off to dream in my arms.<strong>

Every kiss after that felt exactly the same to him yet somehow even better...sparks flying, weak in the knees, butterflies in his tummy, heart quickening...the kiss later that night as they lay together in his hotel room, entwined with one another...the kiss when she returned to Cincinnati...the kiss when they moved into their place in Cincinnati...the kiss when he proposed...the kiss on their wedding day...the kiss he just gave her while holding their newborn son.

A few weeks later when they were back at home enjoying their life as a little new family, Sam had an idea. He pulled out an old blanket from their closet and lay it out on the grass in their backyard. Quinn joined him, carrying new baby Andrew. She handed Sam the baby and then lowered herself down onto the blanket. Andy lay between them, babbling a little.

Quinn lay back. "Ahhh...I needed this...what's the special occasion?"

"No special occasion...just family time with my favorite girl and my favorite little dude." Sam had found it hard to believe Quinn was pregnant soon after their wedding...that he'd be a father. Then it happened and amidst all the joy surrounding Andrew Samuel Evans' birth he held a little regret that he and Quinn had not done this sooner. "Maybe just to let Andy know where it all began."

Quinn smiled over at Sam. "It's always been in the stars for us, hasn't it?"

"Always..." He leaned over the baby to kiss her to feel the sparks and butterflies yet again.

**A/N: The song is "Drift Off To Dream" by Travis Tritt; I heard it recently and immediately thought of Sam & Quinn. I hope you enjoyed the story. :)**


	13. Magic Changes

_**Magic Changes**_

**A/N: This is a lot AU/a bit canon. Enjoy.  
><strong>

**Quinn**

"Are you positive you have everything, Quinnie?" Judy Fabray asked her for at least the hundredth time.

Quinn busied herself with packing her luggage into her car. She added a microwave, a one-cup coffee maker, a toaster oven, a lava lamp filled with pink goo, and the new bedding her mother had bought her.

"I'm sure, mother. I have everything!" Quinn replied, thinking and re-thinking..._did she have everything she wanted to take with her?_

"You have the credit card, the one I opened for you, for emergencies, right?"

"Yes mom..."

"You have your phone charger, for the car and your apartment, right?"

"Yes mother..."

"You have your _protection_ also?" Judy asked her nervously.

Quinn stopped what she was doing at the front of the VW, thinking _birth control?_, then went around to the driver's side, and pulled the silver Colt 45 handgun from the middle console.

"Got it, ma..." she said, checking that the safety was on.

"And you have your permit for it?" Judy asked.

Quinn thought for a moment. She usually didn't carry her gun but since she'd be on the road for a few days and then on her own in New Haven she wanted it with her.

"I better check..." She ran inside the house and dug around in her mother's important files and came up with her license to carry a handgun.

"Damn, that was close..." she mumbled.

While inside her mother's home, she checked her old bedroom once more and decided she had everything she wanted, went to the bathroom, grabbed some bottled water from the fridge, and returned to her car.

"I think I got it all..." she said, waving the permit under her mother's nose and tucking it in her purse. She put the bottles of water in the car's refrigerated compartment, then hugged her mother tightly.

"I'll miss you, mom, and I promise I'll be super careful on the road," Quinn said to her, then kissed her on the cheek. "Tell Frannie she's on my _you-know-what _list for not being here to see me off!"

"I'll tell her...just be careful, Quinnie. You know I'd come along if it wasn't for this damn convention!" her mother basically wailed.

"I know, mom...it's okay, really. I'll be fine. Now, take my picture!"

Quinn leaned up against her car and waved at her mother as she took some pictures of Quinn with her phone.

"I sent them to your phone..." her mom said, and they both heard the beeping from the passenger seat that Quinn just received messages.

"Cool...I love you, mom. I'll call or text you from everywhere I stop...I promise..." Quinn said, climbing behind the wheel and buckling herself in. "And, I'll call from wherever I stop for the night."

The drive straight through would be around 12 hours, but she was going to go about 6 hours and then finish the drive the next day.

"I love you too, sweetie," Judy said, dabbing at her eyes with a damp tissue. "Don't forget to text!"

Quinn laughed and waved as she backed out of her driveway. She blew her mom a kiss and was on her way to Yale University.

_xxxxx_

The highway out of Lima was familiar to her, boring and drab. She turned her thoughts to attending Yale and everything that she had accomplished to get to that point. She recalled her days as 'Lucy', chunky, glasses, just plain ugly (in her eyes), then her father telling her about a simple surgery and soon thereafter she shed 'Lucy' and Quinn emerged. And being Quinn had a lot of perks. She trained in gymnastics, lost the extra weight, and became the most feared Cheerio, the HBIC...all by ninth grade. She even snagged the quarterback, Finn Hudson. In tenth grade, everything went to crap for her with the help of Noah Puckerman and his penis. In a moment of weakness, she let down her walls and let him in and found herself unexpectedly pregnant at 15. Things just spiraled out of control then...lying to Finn about the baby being his, telling her parents, getting kicked out of her home, 'fessing up to Finn, moving in with Finn, then Noah, then her friend Mercedes, until finally going into labor at a Glee Club competition of all places. She had her baby, a girl, and had already arranged an adoption. She got to hold her for a couple minutes and saw her a couple times before leaving the hospital. Her mother finally supported her and was there at the birth, then let her move back home, since her father had divorced Judy and moved out. She pulled herself together over the summer and came back to start her junior year by getting back on top of the heap. She worked hard on her grades, worked off the baby fat, and was finally reinstituted as captain of the Cheerios. Her next objective was snagging Finn again and becoming prom queen. Things were going fine until her secret was revealed about 'Lucy'. Finn was still hung up on a mutual friend of theirs but took her to prom where he got into a fight with the other girl's ex-boyfriend and she lost the prom queen title. Their Glee Club went to Nationals that year but right before that she attended a funeral with Finn where he unceremoniously broke up with her.

At this point in her reminiscing, she slammed her hands down on the steering wheel, still angry about that.

"What a douche," she mumbled under her breath.

After Nationals, she spiraled downward and out of control that summer...smoking, drinking, got a temporary tattoo, and dyed her hair pink…all for the hell of it. Finn was serious about the girl he dumped her for, the lady who adopted her daughter was back in town and even teaching at her high school, and of course her father had moved out and moved on. After a few awful attempts at trying to win custody of her daughter back, Noah, the boy who knocked her up in the first place, gave her a serious talking to that she took to heart and began to turn her life back around. She focused solely on her grades the first semester of her senior year and applied for Yale and was accepted.

The second half of her senior year was the actual eye-opener for her. She nearly lost her life in a car accident, an accident that left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. She had to learn to depend on others for once, which humbled her greatly. She improved her strength. And she learned a lot from being eye level with everyone's mid section…like how many guys scratched their balls and how many girls picked their wedgies…and, oh dear lord, all the muffin tops! She regained her feeling in time for Glee Club Nationals and graduation and then had a fun summer with her friends and preparing for Yale.

It was decided that she'd rent an apartment just off campus since she did carry a gun and Yale had a "no guns on campus" policy, which was strictly enforced. That was why she was now driving herself to New Haven at the end of August. She'd have her own place plus her car. Even the girl who wound up stealing Finn's heart, Rachel, now her friend, was nearby in New York City so she'd at least know one person on the East Coast.

She was now 2 hours away from home and all she could think about was home.

_xxxxx_

**Sam**

The trucker dropped him off a little farther west than he would've liked, but he figured he'd take what he could get. His goal was to get to I-80…a direct route to New York City. He had left his parent's home in Terre Haute, Indiana, in an old car that he sold as junk in Indianapolis so he'd have money to eat, which was a couple weeks ago and he was nearly out of cash. He stayed on I-70 going east until finally a guy picked him up at Columbus, Ohio, and took him northward, closer to I-80, but not east hardly at all. And the highway he was on now, US 30 East in Mansfield, Ohio, was just a 2-laner until he got out to the interstate of I-71. He so wished he had a map.

He never expected to have to walk so much and so far. He thought surely he'd get more rides…so far, only a handful of truckers had stopped to pick him up. The heat was outrageous, too. He wore a ragged old ball cap, emblazoned with the Terre Haute Rex emblem, and counted the minutes until the sun set, but even the nights were warm. His backpack seemed heavier on his back with every step even though it only contained two pairs of shorts, two shirts, socks and underwear, some toiletries, a couple pictures of his family, a couple of his favorite comic books, and a set of special markers and pencils, a gift from his parents. Now, he realized that with every step the sole of his right sneaker was slapping the pavement.

_What a way to spend your 18th birthday_, he thought, wryly. His parents had tried to talk him out of going, but he was nearly 18 and he was just another mouth to feed. He noticed it every day when his parents struggled find the food to feed all five of them, him, his parents, and his brother and sister. There was no work to be had in Terre Haute, only minimum wage menial dead-end jobs. He might have a chance in New York City, though. He wanted to at least try. He hated being dead weight to his family. The only reason his parents let him go was his Uncle Dan lived there, his dad's younger single brother, and he was expecting Sam.

He was trying to calculate in his head as he walked along the shoulder in the heat of midday how much money he had left, what he could sell off, if he could afford a new cheap pair of shoes and be able to sleep in a cheap motel…when he tripped and went down on his hands and right knee.

_xxxxx_

**Quinn and Sam**

Quinn was cruising along US 30 East, almost to Mansfield, Ohio, singing along with her radio. The DJ had just announced it was in the mid 90s that late August day…no rain in sight. Lunch was sounding pretty good to her, actually, and Mansfield seemed to be a decent sized town.

Up ahead, over on the shoulder, she caught a gleam of something. The cars in front of her were tapping their brakes. Then, she realized a blonde-haired guy with a ball cap on was walking…or more like hobbling…along the shoulder of the road. He was obviously a hitchhiker, with a backpack on his shoulders. As she neared him, all she could focus on was the sole of his right shoe, slapping the shoulder of the road with every step he took. Suddenly, just as she was about to pass him, he disappeared. She glanced in front of her and realized the traffic had come to a complete halt.

She stomped her brakes and pulled her car hard to the right to avoid slamming into the car in front of her. Her seatbelt pulled tight across her chest, keeping her from connecting with the steering wheel, but she was still gasping, in shock, that she had nearly caused an accident. Flashes of her high school crash rushed into her mind.

_Tap, tap, tap… _She jumped in her seat.

"Hey! You okay?"

Instinctively, she reached for the console where her gun was, then remembered her doors were locked, windows up. She glanced over and the hitchhiker was glaring in at her. She cracked her window a bit.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…are you okay?" she asked him. Just as she had passed him and nearly rammed the car in front of her, she realized he had tripped and fallen down.

"Oh yeah." He turned his hands palms-up. They were both bleeding with pebbles and dirt from the shoulder embedded in them. "Oh, well…"

"My god, you're bleeding!" Quinn said. She reached into the glove compartment for her first aid kit. The one her mother insisted she keep in her car. "Come around to the other side of the car."

He hesitated a moment. This lady was alone and people didn't take too kindly to hitchhikers. The road was busy though so he figured it'd be okay. Plus, his hands were kind of hurting. He looked down and saw that the knee of his jeans was ripped and his knee was bleeding too. He sighed but went around to the passenger side. He stood outside her car even after she had unlocked the door.

She rolled down the window. "Get in!"

"No, I'm fine here," he replied, smiling at her.

"I'm not leaving until you get into the car," she said, smiling back at him.

He sighed again and carefully opened the door, dropping his backpack to the shoulder. He sat down while she rolled up the window. The air conditioning felt like it was heaven sent, not to mention the angel sitting next to him.

"Here…" She had pawed around in the first aid kit and come up with some Bacitracin wipes and bandages. She opened the wipes and handed them to him so he could clean his palms.

"How long have you been, uh, walking?" she asked him.

"A couple weeks now…"

He looked gaunt, tan but super skinny. He had a streak of dirt across his forehead and left cheek and streaks of sweat at his hairline under the cap's bill. In the sunlight, what she could see of his hair it looked blonde; in her car, it was maybe more of a dirty blonde underneath the ball cap that now sat askew on his head from his fall.

"And when did you last eat?"

He paused, cleaning his hands and then his knee. "Yesterday sometime…it's really okay, ma'am. Thank you for the bandages. I'll just be going now…"

He opened the car door and stepped out, picked up his backpack that he had left lying on the ground. He started walking again along the shoulder, wincing at the scrape on his knee.

She watched him walk away, hobbling _and _limping now.

**Lunch**

_What could it hurt to offer to buy him lunch? _she thought to herself. It wasn't like she was unprotected and he hadn't tried anything while he was in her car. No strange questions, no shifty eyes looking for her purse or looking her up and down, left his backpack _outside_ her car. In fact, he had very nice eyes, a bright greenish-blue, not hardened yet.

In the time she had been sitting there mulling all this over, he had walked a bit ahead of her. She pulled up slowly behind him and tapped the horn lightly. He jumped.

He had heard the crunch of the gravel behind him and wondered what she was doing, maybe trying to pull out into traffic he assumed. Then she honked and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around and she was waving for him to come back to her car.

He walked up to the driver's side.

"Would you like to have lunch with me? I was just getting ready to pull over and you look like you'd be great company," she said cheerfully.

Actually, he was hungry and thirsty, which probably caused him to trip, combined with the heat of the day.

"Um, sure, I s'pose…I can meet you over…"

He looked around for a nearby restaurant.

She interrupted him. "Get back in the car, okay? I'll drive us somewhere."

For a split-second, as he walked around the car, she wondered what in the hell she was doing, inviting a complete stranger to have lunch with her. Something in her gut told her he was okay, though.

He climbed back into her car, putting his backpack between his feet.

"Well, first of all, I'm Quinn Fabray," she said. She began to hold out her hand to shake his but then realized he was bandaged up.

"I'm Sam Evans, pleased to meet you," he replied. She had the prettiest smile he'd ever seen on a girl.

"So Sam, what sounds good for lunch? I'm starving," she told him, as he pulled the seatbelt across his chest and latched it.

"Oh gosh…I'm good with anything," he said.

She noticed he was fidgeting with the ripped knee of his jeans.

"Is that bothering you? Maybe you should go to an urgent care or something," she suggested.

"Oh no, I'm good. Just stings a little. I'll be fine, really." He clamped his lips together, realizing he was over-talking. He'd like to go to an urgent care center but didn't have the extra money to do so. "How 'bout White Castle?"

She made a face. "No way. You like Mexican food? I think I see a cantina over there."

"Sure..." He figured he'd just eat the free chips and salsa and water. Maybe get a taco or Spanish rice or something else as cheap.

She parked at the Fiesta Cantina, and they entered the establishment. Mexican music was blaring overhead, and the place was decked out to look like a cantina. They were taken to a booth in a dim corner of the restaurant where at least the music was a few decibels lower.

Once the waiter brought water and chips and salsa, Sam excused himself to the restroom to clean up his hands and knee even though he was pretty hungry. He took off his ball cap and looked at himself in the mirror and was a bit taken aback. He knew he looked pretty rough from being outside in the heat, then tripping and falling like a dumbass...but wow...the dirt streaks on his face, his hair looked awful...and this chick picked him up? He cleaned up his face the best he could, then ran his fingers through his hair to try to settle it down a little. Right before leaving the restroom, he wadded up paper towels and cleaned his armpits the best he could. He knew those had to be rank.

While Sam was in the restroom, Quinn was curious about her new acquaintance. First of all, she ordered lunch for them...a lunch special including two burritos, a taco, refried beans, and Spanish rice plus two large Cokes. She wasn't kidding about being starving and that guy looked like skin and bones to her. Then, she texted her mother where she had stopped and was having lunch, minus the fact she now had a guest. She wondered what a guy who appeared to be her age would be doing hitchhiking across Ohio of all places in August. She twirled a strand of hair around a finger as she considered this. Was he a runaway? An escaped convict? Oh god, a murderer?! Surely, he had a story.

He returned to the table to find a large Coke waiting on him.

"I just went ahead and ordered for you, Sam Evans. A lunch special of some sort...I'm starving so I just got us both the same thing," she said, sipping on her pop.

He sat down slowly, taking all that in, wondering if he could even afford the meal plus tip. She must've sensed his unease because she then told him lunch was on her.

"No, no, I can't let you do that," he protested, though the Coke was calling his name.

"Sam Evans, it's the least I can do," she said, opening his straw and dropping it in his drink.

He sipped it slowly, the acid and carbonation hitting his gut like an explosion of fireworks. Damn, that was the best Coke he'd had since leaving home.

"So, Sam Evans, what's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah, where are you headed? Why are you in Ohio?" she asked him bluntly, resting her elbows on the table and staring at him. He looked a lot more refreshed since returning from the restroom.

He had a response ready to give her...or anyone else who asked.

"I've got a job waiting for me in Pennsylvania...a town called Gettysburg, heard of it?" he asked her, smiling. He helped himself to some chips and salsa, trying not to devour the entirety of the chips.

She giggled at his little joke. "Yes, I've heard of it...what kind of job?"

"My uncle runs a sight-seeing business there and offered me work," Sam told her.

"There were no jobs wherever you came from?"

"Terre Haute, Indiana? Uh, no. Except for minimum wage, go-nowhere jobs. At least with my uncle's business, he'll be paying me more than minimum wage plus I might learn something."

"And you've been walking the whole way? What did your parents say?" she asked, somewhat disbelieving.

"I just turned 18 and I needed to find decent work. I have a younger brother and sister and it was just too hard for my parents to keep trying to feed us all. We were homeless for a year before my dad found work at a foundry but those jobs are never stable."

The waiter brought their lunches. Quinn watched Sam's eyes get big as he took in all the food before him.

"Um, thanks for ordering all this for me...I'm not sure I can eat it all," he said, right before digging in.

For awhile, they were both silent as they ate their lunches.

After a few quiet minutes, Sam asked Quinn, "So, Miss Quinn Fabray, what's _your _story?"

She stopped chewing mid bite. She swallowed and replied, "My story?"

"Yeah...I told you my story so what's your story? Looks like you're moving, you've got a lot packed into the back seat," he said, smiling at her. He pushed his now empty plate away and rested his elbows on the table in the same fashion she had done.

She cleared her throat. "Well, actually, I'm on my way to college. I'm 18 too."

"College? Where at?"

"Yale University."

"Wow! Ivy League, right? I'd think you'd be smart enough to know not to associate yourself with a hitcher," he said, chuckling.

"I'm not stupid..." she said. "You looked like you could use a good meal."

"And I thank you for that...you were right, I did need to eat," he admitted.

He really couldn't lie to her, at least about some things. She was the prettiest girl he had ever set eyes on with the exception of maybe his mom and little sister. She carried herself with confidence, yet she was friendly to him, not condescending. She seemed like she wanted to help and wasn't afraid to offer it.

She had snuck glances at him earlier, as he wolfed down his lunch. He seemed nice enough and sincere; she hoped she was a good judge of character. His striking green-blue eyes were honest when he looked at her, unblinking.

"Where ya from?" he asked her.

"Here in Ohio...a town called Lima...you're from Indiana?"

"Not originally...from Tennessee...my dad got a job in Indiana, that's how we ended up there," he said.

"Did you just graduate?" she asked him.

"Yep...just barely, I guess," he laughed. "English always gave me fits...I'm dyslexic..."

"Oh...I'm studying art history at Yale...not sure what kind of job that'll get me...maybe at an art museum..." She took a bite of her taco. "So what will you learn at Gettysburg? You'd make a good re-enactment soldier."

Then, she snorted at her own joke.

"What?" he said, laughing with her. "I don't get it!"

"Well, the Civil War soldiers were typically gaunt characters, lack of food and rampant disease, and your poor hands and knee..."

"Maybe I could be a captain or something...those are the dudes who dress up and pretend to shoot one another, right?"

"Yes...and I shouldn't have made fun of you like that...my apologies..."

"Oh...I didn't realize you were making fun of me, but, okay, I accept your apology," he laughed.

That made her laugh even harder.

Finally, sputtering, she said she was sorry again.

When she had calmed down, he told her he hoped his uncle would help him get into a community or tech college and then he'd go from there.

"What do you like to do, Sam Evans?" she asked him. Every time she called him by his whole name, his heart leapt a little.

"Um, well, I play guitar and can sing a little but I sold the guitar with the car...and I like to play football and baseball and comic books...I've tried drawing some cartoons and I guess I'm okay at it," he told her.

"What do you like to do, Quinn Fabray?" he asked her. When her name rolled off his tongue, it was something that sounded _exotic_ to him.

"Well, I like to sing too...I was even in Glee Club in high school," she said, blushing a little.

"Really?"

"Yep...those were some good times...I was a cheerleader too...there was just nothing for me in Lima, except maybe to be a real estate agent like my mom, so I'm getting out," she told him.

"I totally get it," he said, nodding. "So, no one is seeing you off to college? You're doing it alone?"

She nodded. "Yeah...my mom had to speak at some convention..."

"Dad?"

"He's not in the picture," she replied curtly, looking down at what was left of her lunch.

"Oh..." Sam said, noticing the change in Quinn's demeanor at the mention of her father. He felt he needed to change the subject. "Thanks a lot for lunch and the Band-Aids and stuff...I really appreciate your help." He reached for his battered wallet and put a couple one-dollar bills on the table.

"Let me leave the tip, at least," he said quietly when she began to protest. "I probably need to get back on the road, try to find a lift to Pennsylvania."

He stood up, as did she. She settled the bill while he went to the restroom, then she went to the restroom. While washing her hands, she stared at herself in the mirror.

_You can't just let him walk away, Quinn...he's going in your direction...kind of...just give him a lift until you stop for the night..._The thoughts coursed through her mind. _He is nice to talk to._

She met up with Sam at the exit of the restaurant, both agreeing that the food had been delish and had hit 'the spot'.

"Well, I'll just get my backpack from your car and let you get on your way to Yale, Quinn Fabray," he said smiling, holding open the door for her.

The heat blasted them as they exited the cool restaurant, and Sam put his ball cap back on. She was quiet as they walked to her car. She hit the button on her keychain to unlock the doors. Sam grabbed his bag from the passenger side and then met her on the driver side.

He held out his hand to shake hers. Her hand felt tiny and soft in his. "Thank you again for your kindness, Quinn Fabray...I won't ever forget it. I just wish there was something I could do for you..."

"It's okay, really, Sam Evans. I enjoyed lunch and having someone to talk to. Just be safe in your travels..." she said, shielding her eyes from the bright sun.

"You too, Quinn..." He nodded, winked at her, and headed off toward the highway from which they had come.

_xxxxx_

She climbed into her car and watched him saunter off, his right shoe sole flopping with his every step. She started the car and the air conditioning and checked her GPS. She entered the information that she needed to know and took a deep breath. Looking up, she didn't see him anymore.

She pulled her car forward, looking for the ball cap, the blonde hair...how could he have disappeared so quickly?

She noticed a semi truck pulled over, then it pulled back into the flow of traffic, and there he was. The trucker must not have been going his way, she guessed.

She pulled into the line of cars at a traffic light and watched him as he gained distance away from her. The traffic was slow in moving, people heading back to work after lunch, and she wound up sitting through another red light. She saw Sam start up the exit ramp to go back to the interstate.

_xxxxx_

After walking away from Quinn Fabray's car, he stopped to check the condition of his shoe. It didn't look too bad and he figured he could get to the next place he was going, wherever that was, with the shoe intact. A trucker stopped while he was bent down checking out the condition of his footwear and asked where he was headed. Unfortunately, the trucker was headed farther northwest to Toledo. He told Sam he was sorry and pulled back onto the roadway.

Traffic was heavy at that time of the day so Sam ran across four lanes of cars at a stoplight to get to the on-ramp to continue heading eastward. The heat was bothersome, plus his full belly, so he pulled the cap down on his head and prepared for a long walk. The truck driver had told him the next big town was Akron, about 60 miles on the I-71 interstate. The thought of walking 60 miles in that heat made Sam's stomach churn. And then he had a pebble in his shoe.

**The Drive**

He stopped to take off the shoe to shake it out and realized a car was zooming up behind him. They hit their horn, and he nearly had a heart attack. He turned around to find the VW Beetle stopped behind him, a nervous Quinn Fabray behind the wheel, biting down on her lip then waving him back to the car.

He walked up to her side and she rolled the window down.

"Fancy meeting you here!" he said as cheerfully as he could muster.

"I can take you..." she blurted out. "To Gettysburg..."

He was more than a little shocked. "Wow...thanks...but no thanks...you've got to get yourself to Yale..."

An 18-wheeler roared past them, laying on their horn.

"Just get in before you get killed!" she hollered at him.

The way she screamed at him startled him into moving and he did as she said. He ran around to the other side of her car and hopped in.

Once inside her car with the windows up and the rumble of traffic down to a dull roar, he spoke first.

"Really, you don't have to do this..."

"I want to, Sam Evans...I want to help you out," she interrupted. She pulled back into the flow of traffic.

"Quinn, seriously, I have nothing to give you...no gas money, no food money, nothing...please, I can walk, really," he practically begged her.

"Sam Evans, you need a new shoe...do you think I didn't notice that? How can you walk to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with that bum shoe?"

He sighed and thought of a response, staring at her as she drove out onto the interstate, her eyes glued to the road. She glanced over at him when he hadn't spoken.

"Listen, are you going to murder me? Or something else equally as awful?" she asked him. "A strong breeze would knock you down right now, Sam Evans. Admit it. You can borrow my phone to call your uncle if you want or your parents."

He looked down at his hands in his lap. "Uh, no thanks. I'll call them later."

He watched the scenery speed by as she cruised down the interstate. He had to admit this was a lot better than walking with the air conditioning and then she flipped on the radio.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"God no...it's your car," he said, trying to relax a little.

The music helped; it always did.

For some time, they drove without speaking, just listening to the radio. Then, Quinn started singing along and he was astounded by her soft lilting voice.

The beginning guitar chords for Meatloaf's _Paradise By The Dashboard Light_came on, the DJ announcing it as a 'golden oldie'.

"Oh my god, I love this song!" Quinn shrieked, cranking up the volume. Sam's foot was already tapping along to the beat; he loved the song too.

They both started singing the opening verse. Quinn looked at him, surprised that he knew the song like she did.

They both realized their voices sounded awesome together so they belted out the song in the confines of Quinn's car. Quinn fell into the girl's lines and Sam the boy's.

"Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? Will you take me away, will you make me your wife? I gotta know right now, before we go any further...do you love me? Will you love me forever?" Quinn sang with enthusiasm.

Sam replied: "Let me sleep on it, baby, baby, let me sleep on it...let me sleep on it...I'll give you an answer in the morning...let me sleep on it..."

"Will you love me forever?" Quinn asked.

"Let me sleep on it..." Sam replied.

"Will you love me forever?" Quinn nearly screamed.

They both sang the remainder of the song together, laughing at the end of it.

Suddenly, he reached and grabbed her upper arm. "You are a great singer! You sing really good!" he gushed, then realized he was grasping her and let go quickly. Awkwardness ensued.

"Thanks...so do you..." she answered.

_xxxxx_

When they got to Akron, Quinn stopped for gas and to stretch their legs. Sam offered to pump the gas, but she said she could do it so he wandered off into the station. She watched him limp across the parking lot, that stupid shoe still slapping the concrete. She paid at the pump, then ran inside to thankfully find clean facilities and pick up another couple bottles of water.

Sam was waiting at the car for her when she returned.

"I got in touch with my folks and my uncle to let them know that I'd be getting in a lot sooner," he said, smiling. "Thanks again. My uncle said he'd re- reim- pay you back for driving me."

"Sam Evans, I told you not to worry about that," she said, climbing into the car. He got into the passenger's seat. "Now, we need to take care of something else."

He looked at her, confused. She pulled out from the gas station but away from the interstate exit.

"Where're we going?" Sam asked.

"Hold on a sec..." she mumbled, trying to read street signs, making a left turn here, then a right turn a couple blocks away, turning into a strip mall, then to a Finish Line. "Here...this is where we're going. If I see that floppy sole one more time, I might scream."

"Quinn, seriously, I can't afford any shoes from the Finish Line...for real...I have like a hundred bucks to my name," he said quietly. He hoped he had that much.

"I'll make you a deal, then. I'll leave my address at Yale with you and you can pay me back once you start working at Gettysburg, okay?"

He sighed, feeling defeated. "Fine..."

Inside the store, Sam quickly found the clearance table of shoes and started sifting through them.

"Really Sam? There's nothing here except old lady shoes, kid shoes, and diabetic shoes...c'mon..." Quinn said, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the men's shoe displayed on a wall.

As soon as he laid eyes on them, she knew he had found the pair he wanted. He reached for them, stroked his index finger across the reflective gold Batman emblem, then jerked his hand away and began looking for the cheapest pair of sneakers he could find.

She watched him for awhile, from behind him, and, when he picked out a style that was plain white with no back to it, she picked up the solid black shoe with the Batman emblem and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Try these on," she said to him when he looked over his shoulder.

He gave her a look of exasperation. He had already been through this…he had basically _no_ money. But, oh my god, those shoes _rocked_!

He sat down with the white sneakers. "These will do just fine, Quinn."

"Okay, try them both on then…what size?"

He told her and she found the Batman shoes in his size while he found the white shoes. He sat down and hoped his sock wasn't too disgusting. He used his left foot to try the shoes on. The white ones fit okay; he walked around in the left one but wasn't really impressed though he tried not to let on to Quinn.

"These are great…let's just get these…" he said, sitting down next to her.

She set the black sneaker on his leg and waited. He sighed again. He switched shoes and basically felt like he could conquer the world in that one black shoe.

"Eh, so-so…nothing special…" he said to her. "My old shoes are really okay…"

She stood up and faced him. "Sometimes, Sam Evans, you need to walk away from the old and start anew."

He looked up at her. "What are you walking away from, Quinn Fabray?"

Quinn looked into Sam's eyes, then down at his two feet...the right with the old torn-up Asics with the torn sole and the no-scuffed perfect-condition black Batman Nike on the left. What was she was walking away from? Her old life where she was repressed by her mother, nonexistent father, old boyfriends who had lied to her and taken advantage of her, a terrible car accident, catty friends, a daughter she had given away...it was like her soul was partly torn from her in Lima. Now, she was on her way to a new life, a life that was unmarred and in perfect condition, a chance to start over and renew herself and her soul.

Finally, in response to Sam's question, she said, "I'm not walking away from anything...I'm _running _toward something new." She had to refrain from stomping her foot as she spoke the last words.

Sam looked at this girl, her smooth shoulder-length blonde hair neatly held back by a black headband, wearing a plain white t-shirt and nice tight-fitting black shorts, almost super short he had noticed, a girl that looked like she had it altogether with a packed-up car heading to Yale on her own, and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her, whisper to her that there was no need for her to run, he'd take care of her...somehow…

He sat up straighter at that thought, surprising even himself that it toppled through his brain.

"I guess I'm something new, right?" he asked, trying to compose himself, working a lopsided grin into the statement.

She chuckled. "You sure are. Let's get these shoes and find us an ice cream."

Sam slipped off the worn sneaker and put on the other black shoe. He did a trial walk up and down the aisle, thoroughly pleased with them. He put his old shoes in the box and followed Quinn to the checkout. She paid for them and told the clerk to toss his old shoes; he had no need for them any longer.

"Out with the past!" she declared.

And they wandered off to find some ice cream.

_xxxxx_

A Dairy Queen was nearby so they each got a cone and sat down to enjoy their treat.

"Do you like the shoes?" she asked, licking the vanilla soft serve.

"Oh my gosh...it's like walking on clouds...seriously. That reminds me, give me the receipt so I can send you the money for them," he said.

She handed over the receipt after writing her new address on the back of it. "There...now you know..."

He ran his tongue around the mint chocolate, humming as he did so.

"So, Quinn Fabray, back at the shoe store...why'd you look so sad?" he asked her bluntly.

"Sad? I'm not sad. If anything, I'm ecstatic," she replied.

"Tell me why."

"To be starting my new life at Yale, of course," she said, licking a rogue drip of vanilla.

"And you're not sad about leaving home and your family and friends?"

She shook her head _no_. "Not really, no."

He was quiet, watching her.

"I mean, it's just me and my mom, and, like I said, she's all wrapped up in her real estate career. My older sister is out of college and married. My dad's completely out of the picture..."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking..."

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"

He nodded. "Yep. I just wanna know a little bit more about the girl who bought me these kick-ass kicks."

Quinn finished her ice cream cone before continuing. She sighed, then spoke.

"If you must know, my father left my mother and me after I disgraced the family by becoming pregnant at 15."

Sam was shocked into silence.

"Actually, he threw me out of the house when I told them I was pregnant, then after I had the baby my mom took me back in because he had left her. Simple as that."

"I'm sorry I..."

"Don't be sorry..." she laughed wryly. "It wasn't your fault."

There was more silence. Sam asked her, "So, you have a baby?"

Quinn cleared her throat and looked off into the distance at the highway, bustling with midday activity.

"No, I don't. She was adopted."

"I see..."

"What are you running from, Sam Evans?" she asked him, attempting to change the conversation.

He shrugged. "Same as you...want to have a better life."

"So, your parents just let you go? No girlfriend back home?"

"You gotta do what you gotta do...I need to make more money than I was making there and I hated what I was doing..."

Crap, he had said too much.

"What did you hate doing?"

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter, looking around much like she had earlier.

"I was a male stripper..."

Quinn gasped.

"When we had absolutely no money and my kid brother and sister were starving..." he finished. "It was the most humiliating thing I've ever done and I don't ever wanna do it again."

"I'm sorry..."

He laughed. "Don't be...it wasn't your fault."

He finished off his cone. "And, I'm pretty sure I got raped there...not a fun time."

Her eyes got huge. "Are you serious? Didn't you tell anyone?"

"I couldn't tell my parents...they didn't know I was doing that...couldn't tell the bosses or police...they hired me knowing I was underage. Someone slipped me something one night..."

"Oh my god, Sam..."

He chuckled a bit. "Yeah, so I guess we're all running from something or another..."

She stood up. "I guess so..." she agreed.

He stood up too and took their napkins to the trash. He returned to her and held out his hand. "Ready to go?"

She took his hand gingerly and nodded.

_xxxxx_

In the car, Quinn checked the GPS.

"Okay, Sam Evans, there are three routes we can go..." She showed him the three, and they decided on the third route, heading south from Akron to Wheeling, West Virginia, since neither one of them had ever seen Wheeling, West Virginia.

"That'll be a good place to stop for the night," she said, starting the car.

"Wait...what?"

"I'm not driving straight through...I'm stopping for the night somewhere," she said, as if it was a normal everyday occurrence for her.

"Um, okay. I'll just camp out then," he said. "I'm used to it...no big deal."

She glanced over at him but didn't say anything.

**The Pines**

An hour later, they were getting close to Wheeling, West Virginia. Quinn started seeing billboards for a lodge in the area.

_Leave your worries behind! Stay at The Pines! Overlooking The Ohio!_

And then another one: _Start fresh! The Pines is right for you!_

After a couple more billboards, Quinn was convinced that the billboards were a sign, for what she didn't know, but she pulled off the exit to find The Pines.

The drive south from Akron had been mostly quiet, listening to the radio but not singing along. Sam watched the scenery pass by and was lost in his own thoughts.

She finally arrived in Wheeling and took a scenic drive southward parallel to the Ohio River.

Quinn finally saw the sign announcing they were at The Pines Lodge.

"They weren't kidding about the pine trees, right?" she said, laughing a bit nervously. She turned left down a lane surrounded by old pine trees.

"Yeah, really," Sam mumbled. He wasn't sure what this girl had up her sleeve, but, looking around at the land, it appeared it'd be nice to camp out under the stars...minus the mosquitoes, of course.

She drove slowly down the winding drive until pulling into an opening where they found the main building flanked by a line of rooms to either side, with the Ohio River flowing behind the lodge, down a steep bank. There was a circular drive in front of the lodge, so Quinn pulled under the canopy at the front doors.

"Well, here we are!" she said, cheerfully, hopping out of her car.

Even though it was late afternoon, it was shady amongst the pine trees with bits of sun streaming down through the branches. Sam got out of the car to stretch his legs and wander around to see where might be a good place to bunk for the night. There was an outside access to walk down to the river so he started that way. He stood on a bluff behind the lodge, overlooking river. Off to his left, he saw a grove of, what else?, pine trees that he thought would make a comfy sleeping area.

"Hey Sam Evans!" she called. "Where'd you go?"

He heard the sweet tone of her voice through the pines, naturally, and walked briskly back to meet her at her car. She was coming in his direction, and they crashed into one another.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Quinn!" he said at the same time, his hands landing on her hips.

Neither one of them knocked the other one down, but they stood there a moment, transfixed by being in each other's pseudo-embrace. Then, they both dropped their hands to their sides, laughing.

She poked something at his hand. "Here...you're 210 and I'm 212."

He was holding a room key that instead of looking like a credit card was an actual key with a green pine tree-shaped fob, the number 210 painted on it in sparkly gold nail polish.

"Quinn..." he began.

"Shush. Let's go check out the accommodations," she cut in, grabbing his free hand to walk back to the car.

Her hand felt soft in his hand and _perfect_. Her hips had felt small under his hands also...he tried to shake that thought from his mind.

"Listen, Quinn..." he said, turning her toward him at her car. She cocked her head to the side a little, waiting on him to speak.

"I was planning on sleeping under the stars in a grove of trees back there...here..." He put the room key back in her hand and reached for his backpack inside the car.

"Sam..."

And the way she quietly whispered his name made him stop and look at her.

She reached out slowly and hooked a finger in one of his belt loops at his hip and tugged gently. He took a step toward her, now standing nearly toe to toe. He rested his hands on the hot metal of the car behind her, a hand next to each of her shoulders.

She slipped his room key into the pocket of his jeans. He felt the key…or maybe her fingers…brush his cock ever so slightly.

"I don't wanna sleep alone tonight…" she whispered, staring down at their feet, then glancing up at him.

The lowering sun illuminated her hazel eyes, and he saw sparks of green deep in her iris. They were mesmerizing. He felt himself being drawn in, drawn to her, and their lips grazed in a fleeting moment before he pulled away.

"Um…okay…yeah…um, thanks…" he mumbled to her, setting his eyes on hers.

A small smile settled on her lips. "Okay…" was all she said.

His eyes were piercing up close, she realized. She felt paralyzed by that kiss, by his gaze. Finally, though, he made a move.

"I guess we should check out our rooms, right?" he asked her. Actually, the thought of a hot shower sounded wonderful to him.

Quinn instantly perked up. "Right!"

Quinn pulled her car into a parking spot, and they both grabbed the stuff they'd need...him, his backpack, and her, a dufflebag...and headed for the main doors of the lodge.

"It seems really nice," she told him as they entered the lobby. "It's small and quaint, quiet. Plus, they have a dining room and room service so we don't have to leave to eat."

They entered the lobby. Registration was to their right and a sitting area to their left. Directly in front of them was the grand dining room with a wall of windows overlooking the Ohio River. Quinn led the way, going down the left-sided hallway, the 200 rooms. Sam stopped at 210 while Quinn went on to 212.

"Listen, Quinn, I really can't thank you enough..."

She turned to him and smiled. "You're very welcome."

She turned her key in the lock and entered her room, closing the door quietly behind her. He stood there for a few moments, thinking about this girl, this _adventure _he found himself a part of. He then opened the door to his room and stepped inside.

_xxxxx_

Next door, Quinn was just inside her room, leaning up against her door, finally able to exhale. It had taken all her courage to get the rooms, then hand him the key, not once but _twice_. The second time, when she slipped it into his jeans pocket, had made her jittery...then he had kissed her. She was extremely nervous. She had never done _anything _like this before.

She looked around the room. Her queen-sized bed was to her right, against Sam's wall; then in front of her was a giant picture window, the drapes open revealing the Ohio River; and to her left, the bathroom. There was the requisite TV, loveseat, and wing chair, plus a desk and coffee table. She set her duffel bag on the bed and went to look at the view.

_This guy is a stranger! What am I doing? _she thought nervously.

Sam's room was just a reverse image of Quinn's: his queen-sized bed to his left, bathroom to his right, picture window in front of him. He set his backpack down and went to look out the window.

_I wonder what she'll say when I tell her the truth..._he wondered.

She pulled out her cell phone and called her mother.

"I've stopped for the night, mother," she said, maybe a little too anxiously.

"How's the drive been so far? Boring as all get out?"

Quinn laughed a little. "Not too bad. I'll call tomorrow when I get to my apartment."

"Sounds good…how's the car running? Any problems?"

"Running fine…how's the convention?"

"The usual…speeches, blowhards, booze…right up my alley," her mother said, laughing wryly, as did Quinn.

"Love you, mom…talk tomorrow…" Quinn said, hanging up.

_xxxxx_

Sam pulled his few belongings from his backpack.

_What the hell am I going to wear to dinner?_ he thought, looking at the wrinkled clothing on the bed. His mother had insisted he take a pair of olive green cargo shorts and a black cotton blend polo shirt. He sighed; those would have to do.

He started a shower and draped the clothes over the towel bar in the bathroom to hopefully steam the wrinkles from them.

The hot shower did wonders for Sam, cleaning off the stench he knew _had_ to be present but also making him feel more _alive_. He wasn't sure what to expect from this evening, but judging by the look Quinn gave him, the kiss they shared, there'd be more than sleeping happening later.

_xxxxx_

Quinn took a shower, thinking while the hot water streamed over her. She wanted him, it was that simple. At some point since meeting him, she thought maybe at the shoe store or maybe over the ice cream, something changed in how she saw him. She felt safe around him, even had left her handgun in the car. This was just _so_ out of character for her, to befriend a complete stranger, a _boy_ no less, and now be in side-by-side rooms at a roadside motel. It wasn't close enough, though. Standing next to him at her car, when he gazed into her eyes, then kissed her softly and quickly, she had had a _taste_ of him and wanted-_needed_-more. They had to get through dinner first...it would be her last chance to back out or maybe his chance to...something ignited between them at her car and there was a slow burn now.

She chose a knee-length sundress in pink gingham. The top was like a tank top and criss-crossed over her bodice so the gingham patterns were not uniform. The skirt was full with a stiff fabric sewn underneath it to give it poof. She wore dainty kitten heel sandals and a strand of her mother's pearls. She straightened her hair, then pushed it back with a pink headband, and did her makeup.

The phone in her room rang.

"Yes?"

"So, supper?" Sam asked, his voice breaking a bit. "Would you like to...to go with me to supper?"

She smiled to herself. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

A brief pause on his end of the line. "I am, and I'd be honored."

"Pick me up in 10 minutes," she said, giddy, and set the handset down quietly.

In his room, Sam could've sworn he heard her squeal.

_xxxxx_

Approximately 9 minutes later, after Sam had did what he could with his hair, shaved with the motel razor and soap, and used only a tiny bit of their aftershave (because it smelled like what his dad used), he fastened his belt, put on his new kicks, and made sure he had his wallet, then went next door.

She heard his knock and waited a couple moments to hopefully give him some sense of waiting on her, though it killed her not to answer it right away.

She pulled the door open and he first smelled something sweet, summery, warm. She radiated beauty to him. When she smiled, he smiled.

She picked up a hint of an aftershave, maybe something like Old Spice. She could tell he had shaved, his face now smooth from the 5 o'clock shadow he had been sporting earlier. His hair was still a bit damp, obviously combed back. His black shirt made him look tan and set off his pretty eyes.

He held out an elbow to her. "To dinner, m'dear?" Just saying the words out loud made him feel like a dweeb...it had sounded so perfect in his mind beforehand.

She took his arm, pulling her door closed. "I'd be honored, sir," she replied, squeezing the inside of his upper arm.

They walked back toward the lobby where others had gathered waiting to be seated for dinner.

"What do you think of your room?" she asked him while they waited.

"Not bad. Late 1960s decor...can't beat it..." he laughed.

She laughed along with him. "The view is awesome though. I could've just sat there and stared outside for hours, I think."

She slid her hand down his arm to his hand and held on tightly. He looked over to her and wanted so badly to kiss her _for real_ but then heard this:

"How many, sir?"

Sam jerked back around, face to face with the maitre'd. He cleared his throat.

"I have reservations for two, Evans," he said, mustering up all the man he had in him.

The maitre'd ran a finger down a list of, then said, "Ah, of course. Right this way, sir..."

Sam was pleased to see the expression of pleasant surprise on Quinn's face. She took his arm, and they followed the man.

He led them to a table set for two in a shadowy corner next to the window, overlooking the river. Candles were lit on their table and even on wall sconces around them. A single red rose sat in a unique blue vase on the table. Sam pulled out Quinn's chair for her, allowed her to take her place, then slid her up a bit.

Sam sat down across from her and took their menus. "Iced tea for both, please," Sam said, taking control of their meal. "Extra lemon."

"Right away, sir," the man said and disappeared.

"Did I do okay?" Sam asked, leaning in and whispering to Quinn.

"You planned this?" she asked.

"Mhmm..." he nodded, obviously very proud of himself.

Her voice caught in her throat. "No one's ever taken me out to such a sweet dinner."

A waiter returned with their drinks, and Sam ordered for them...grilled tilapia, roasted mixed vegetables, rice pilaf, salad.

The waiter disappeared, and Sam and Quinn stared out the window at the scenery. There were lights strung through the woods down to the river; there was a pathway built down to a pier and people were walking down to the river in the twilight.

Somewhat awkwardly, Sam reached across the table and took Quinn's hand in his. She turned her gaze to him.

"I'm not sure how to thank you for all you've done for me," he said quietly, blushing and glancing downward. "I know this dinner is not enough..."

"Sam..."

"I think something else has happened, though," he interrupted her. "I think I'm falling for you."

She looked at him, amazed. He pretty much had taken the words out of her heart.

"Sam, I'm so very flattered, but we just met, you don't know me..."

Her words stung Sam. He knew...he _felt_...that she had experienced something similar next to her car earlier. He squeezed her hand gently.

"I want to know you...whatever I need to do...wherever Yale is, I'll go...to get to know you better..."

The waiter brought their salads and refilled their nearly untouched iced teas.

"It'd never work, Sam..."

"Admit it..."

"Admit what?"

"That you felt it too, next to your car..." he said, releasing her hand.

She shook her head _no_. "Not next to my car...the ice cream..."

A tear slid down her cheek. She didn't even know why this had brought her to tears.

Both of them were quiet.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn Fabray," he whispered, staring down at the table.

She took a deep breath. "Look at me, Sam Evans."

He looked up at her, his eyes shiny like hers.

"Don't you dare apologize. There's no way to make anything work...between us," she said, brushing at the tear.

He grasped her hand again. "Why? Why do you think that?"

Quinn picked at her salad with her free hand, then sipped her iced tea. She shrugged. "You know, I don't know."

"Then who's to say we couldn't make it work? I know I don't have a lot to my name right now, but I'd give it all away for the chance to get to know you better."

He let go of her hand to pick at his salad. He tried not to stare at the girl, so obviously fighting her emotions across the table from him. In the candlelight, she was gorgeous. He'd never known anyone like her before, and he felt like his heart would burst, sitting there, waiting on her to speak.

"For the lady..." The silence was broken by the waiter, serving their main course. "And the gentleman..."

He whisked away their salads, refilled their teas again, and was gone.

She took a bite of the fish and looked at him, her eyes big. "This is delish! Thank you!"

He forced a smile, thinking the fish was good, and waited for her to finish her meal before broaching the topic again. Very little was said during their meal, murmured compliments to the chef and nothing more. The waiter took their plates, then brought out the dessert cart.

Quinn pointed out a dessert and then told the waiter that she and Sam would share it.

"Very well..." he said, dryly, and was gone again.

He returned and set the heart-shaped strawberry shortcake between them, along with two dessert forks and fresh glasses of water.

"Enjoy," he said and was off to another table.

Quinn took a small bite and hummed, her eyes closed.

"So, Sam Evans, what do you suggest we do?"

"Where's Yale? I'll go there and find work..."

"Yale's in New Haven, Connecticut," Quinn replied. "This is insane, you know."

"Makes sense then...I'm kinda crazy about you," he said, smiling.

She snorted. After taking a few more bites, she said, "I have a good idea..."

"Share it..."

"We'll just sleep on it..." she said and winked at him, then giggled.

_xxxxx_

A band began playing music. It sounded like old songs and just instrumental, no one was singing. Sam put his cloth napkin on the table and stood up.

"May I have this dance?" he asked her, his face stoic, afraid she'd say no. He held out his hand to her.

She looked at his scratched up palm, then put her hand in his and followed him to the dance floor. They mixed in with other older couples, somewhat awkwardly. Sam placed his hands chastely on her hips; Quinn rested her arms on his shoulders. They began moving to the slow beat.

"It sounds like a song from Grease, ya know?" she said, swaying in a bit of a circle with him. It was all he could do not to kiss her there under the twinkle lights amidst people their parents' ages. How could he concentrate on Grease at a moment like this?

"_Hopelessly Devoted To You_…" she whispered.

The second song began; the beat was a little more up tempo, so Sam and Quinn moved in half-time to the music. To begin with, they were so far apart probably a third person could've squeezed between them and shared the dance. She heard him humming the song, though, and unintentionally...or maybe intentionally...moved in closer to him. He knew the song, of course he would, and began adding a word or two to his humming.

He was completely aware of her body moving against his, and he mumbled-sang the words to calm himself down, to concentrate on anything besides her hips swaying next to his, her hair brushing his cheek, her fingers tapping the back of his neck. He glanced up at an older couple dancing nearby; the man smiled at him, as if he knew...as if he knew Sam was already in love with the girl in the pink gingham dress in his arms.

She could feel his breath at her ear, on her shoulder. His hands sat on her hips, not daring to move anywhere else. She tapped her fingers on the back of his neck, then played with the ends of his hair.

_It's still familiar to me,  
>Sends a thrill right through me...<br>'Cause those chords remind me of  
>The night that I first fell in love to...<em>

_Those magic changes..._  
><em>My heart arranges...a melody...<em>  
><em>That's never the same...<em>  
><em>A melody...that's calling your name...<em>

His voice was deep, whispered, his breath hot against her neck as he sang the words. She turned her head and softly kissed his neck; his singing stopped momentarily. She kissed up and up and up until she was at his jawline. He turned toward her slightly and met her lips with his. His hands moved up her back slowly, pressing her closer to him.

_The music I wanna hear  
>As once again you whisper in my ear...<br>Oh my darlin'..._

He kissed her again, more urgently this time. The feelings tearing through his body were new to him; never had he kissed a girl and felt like this. She tilted her head slightly and parted her lips. She touched his lips with her tongue. Shocked, he pulled away and looked at her.

_Oh my heart arranges...  
>These magic changes...<em>

The music ended, and he was kissing her on the dance floor while their fellow dance partners applauded politely for the band.

_xxxxx_

"A walk? Would you like to take a walk?" he blurted out to her as the next song began.

She shifted her eyes downward, then back up to his. "I think I should probably turn in for the night."

Deflated. His heart sank. He wanted to talk with her more. Those kisses had meant something; he knew it and he knew that _she _knew it. But, he couldn't force anything.

"Sure, yeah, me too," he said, blushing. He took her hand and led her back to their table. He settled the bill and left a tip, then they began the short walk back to their rooms.

She held his hand until they got to her room.

"Thank you so much for dinner and dancing. I had a lovely evening, Sam Evans," she said, quietly. He followed her gaze downward and stared at her pink toenails along with her before speaking himself.

"I did too, Quinn Fabray," he mumbled, then kissed her on the cheek. He stepped back from her. She smiled, but her smile looked uncertain, as if she wanted to say more. Instead, she fished her room key from a pocket in her dress and turned to unlock her door.

"Goodnight, Sam," she whispered, then shut the door.

He stood in the hallway for a few moments, wondering should he knock or should he go to his room.

Quinn stood with her back to her door, wanting badly to open it widely and invite him in. She realized that her heart was racing in her chest, her breathing quickened. She turned and opened the door quickly...but the hallway was empty.

_xxxxx_

In his room, Sam stripped off his shirt and tossed it over a chair. He stood looking out the large windows, a weird reflection of himself and the lights outside and the lights reflected on the river below. He knew she was right...it was hard for him to agree with her though. Also, he had lied to her up front about where he was headed. Now, she was going to drop him off in Gettysburg and he'd have to find a way to New York City...she'd be in Connecticut. How far was Yale to New York City, he wondered.

_I just need to get her out of my mind_, he thought to himself and started humming the song from dinner, _Those Magic Changes_. He picked through his clothes from his backpack and wondered if this place had a washer and dryer and a payphone so he could call home.

He nearly missed the soft knocking at his door due to being lost in his own thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled, and opened the door.

_xxxxx_

She stared at the empty hallway for a few moments before retreating into her room. She kicked off her sandals and went into the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Don't deny it, Quinn Fabray. You felt it...on the dance floor...in his kiss. You want him, go _get_ him." She talked herself into it. She took off the headband, brushed her hair, added a little perfume, grabbed her key, and went next door.

He opened the door and she gasped a little. The sight of him shirtless was enough to make her knees go weak. He smiled a little, a hint of a dimple showing up on his cheek.

"Hi..." he said.

She leaned against the frame of the door, looking him up and down.

"You know, Sam Evans, I lied to you earlier..." she began.

His eyes got big, smile disappeared. She touched his bare chest at his collarbone and ran her finger down between his pecs stopping at his bellybutton. He followed her finger southward and he noticed her pink toes again.

"There is a way you can pay me back..." With that, she gently nudged him back into his room, pushing his door closed behind her.

"Quinn?" he asked her. She continued to nudge him backward, both her hands on his chest. "How? How can I pay you back?" He wasn't exactly stupid and the look in her eyes told him all he needed to know.

"First of all, this dress needs unzipped..." she said. She let her hands fall down his belly, taking in his abs and the cut of his hips, to the waistband of his shorts. She turned around slowly.

He stood there unmoving, his hands on her shoulders, staring at the zipper.

"Quinn, I think you were right, about it not working..." he said quietly.

She turned on him sharply, holding his upper arms. "I was wrong, Sam! We can talk about..._this_...we can make it work...if we want it bad enough..."

She saw him swallow hard, then lick his lips before saying, "I want it bad enough..."

She nodded, smiling. "Yes, yes, I want it bad enough too..."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly. She tipped her head back, and he kissed her with all the passion that was boiling just beneath the surface. His fingers found the zipper on her dress, and she felt him tug it down gently but quickly. Soon, the pink gingham pooled around her bare feet. She stood before him in a lacy pink bra and panties and a strand of pearls.

He reached out to her, touching her gently above her breast, sliding a finger beneath the satin strap and pulling it downward. He was painfully aware of his erection, straining at his shorts, but was concentrating only on her bra strap sliding down her arm. She reached behind her and unhooked the bra herself and let it slide the rest of the way off her arms.

His fingers drifted down to the nipple of her left breast; he watched the rosy skin pucker beneath his touch and heard her moan quietly. She responded by doing the same to him, reaching out and touching his nipple. He took a step closer to her, and she moved up to him until they could feel one another's breath on each other.

Wordlessly, each one let their fingers drop lower and lower until she was at his shorts and he was at her panties. He leaned in as if to kiss her but instead whispered, "Are you sure?" He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold back.

Her eyes flicked upward at him, and she bit down on her lip. "Mhmm..."

Her fingers unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his shorts, then unzipped him, her fingers grazing over his stiff cock. He pushed at her panties, needing them to be off her quickly. He palmed her ass once he got his bare hands on it and pressed her up against him. Kissing her, feeling his own briefs slide down his legs, one of her legs wrapped around him. He lifted her up, her other leg hitching around him, and he moved them to the bed.

He stood up from her, looking down at her...her _womanhood_. Her knees were spread wide open, waiting on him. He stepped out of his pants and briefs and reached for his wallet, hoping like hell the condom was still in there. He fumbled through his billfold and found it, stashed in a secret hiding spot. He tore it open and rolled it on himself. He hadn't even realized how hard he was until he put the rubber on; it was like his dick was a separate entity from his own body, like it had a life of its own...and right now it was pointing at the beautiful blonde girl on the bed.

Quinn pushed up on her elbows, watching him in the near darkness. He put a knee on the bed, between her legs, then his other knee. His hands were resting on her knees, pushing her legs open even further. She lay back and reached for his hands, running her hands up his forearms. He had to take that moment and just _look _at her, realize what he was about to do.

He moved over her, kissing her, feeling her lift her hips to his, wanting him. He felt the tip of his penis rubbing against her warm wet lips.

"Do you believe your life can change in an instant?" he asked her.

"Yes, Sam, yes…" Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.

He allowed himself to sink into her then, pushing slowly. She groaned in pleasure and moved with him. She watched him as much as possible; he kept his eyes on her except for when his lips would find new parts of her body to kiss. They fit together perfectly. For several wonderful minutes, the room was filled with only the sounds of the bed springs squeaking, their rushed breathing, and their moans.

He climaxed, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his lips together grunting through it with each thrust…_um…um…um…um_. His body trembling on her pushed Quinn into her orgasm…her body responding to him in a way she had never known…tense, shaking, warm pleasure deep in her belly, her knees trembling against Sam's hips.

He kissed her, lips trembling against hers, then pulled out of her and moved to her side, rolling to his back. Nothing was said for some time.

When he rolled to face her, he reached for her hand.

"Stay tonight, please? Can we talk tomorrow?" he asked her.

She kissed him and folded into his body and drifted off to sleep.

_xxxxx_

Early the next morning, before Sam woke up, Quinn slipped from his bed, got dressed, and went to the front desk of the lodge to reserve his room for one more night. She then got directions to the nearest drug store and drove there to buy more condoms.

When she returned, she opened the door to Sam's room quietly. He was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Did last night really happen?" he asked her. "Oh my god…" He glanced under the comforter at his naked self.

She sat on the edge of the bed and handed him an orange juice. "It did happen, Sam Evans."

She sipped her orange juice. At the same time, they both blurted, "I have something to tell you."

"You go first," Quinn said.

Sam sighed a bit and looked down at his OJ. "Um, well, I'm kinda not going to Gettysburg…I lied about that."

Quinn was stunned. She got up from the bed and sat in the wing chair.

"Okay…" she said, quietly. "I don't understand, Sam."

He set the juice down and wrapped the blanket around himself and went to her side.

"I didn't know you when you picked me up…it was just something I would've told anyone…people laugh at my real dream…" he said, picking up her hand. "I was on my way to New York City."

"Really?" she asked. She turned his hand over and examined his palm, trying to hide her smile. "That's all?"

"Really…I just didn't want you to laugh at me. And I really have an uncle there who really is waiting on me," Sam continued. "What were you getting ready to tell me?"

"I'm moving my stuff into this room tonight; we're staying another night," she said, hugging him. He lost his balance and they wound up in the middle of the room on the floor, wrapped in the blanket. "Also, I picked some things up at Walgreen's…"

_xxxxx_

Quinn packed up the stuff in her unused room and moved to Sam's room. They spent the day talking, making love, walking down to the Ohio River, making more love, talking some more, ordering room service. They spent more of the day naked than dressed.

Quinn called her mom and left her a message, telling her she was staying one more night at the lodge since it was so relaxing. Truthfully, it was the first time Quinn had felt happy, positive, about her future.

**Onward**

The next day, they loaded up her VW and set the GPS for Sam's uncle's apartment in New York City. Before they left The Pines, though, Quinn told Sam about the gun in the car so he wouldn't freak out if he happened upon it accidentally. He was okay with it, having hunted a lot with his dad.

During the drive to the Big Apple, they talked even more, getting to know one another better, and sang to the radio and took turns driving.

Quinn met Sam's Uncle Dan who took right to her. Sam introduced Quinn as one of his old friends. Uncle Dan looked a bit disappointed when Sam told him he was going to New Haven with Quinn.

"I was looking forward to havin' you as m'wingman, Sammy," Dan said, sadly.

Sam apologized profusely, but he was pretty sure his uncle understood.

The next day, Sam and Quinn drove into New Haven to Quinn's apartment. It was a small one-bedroom place, but it was all they needed. Sam found a job as quickly as possible, as a cook at a karaoke bar, where he'd sing after his shift. Quinn started her classes at Yale, and they fell into a simple routine that worked for them. Eventually, she told Judy about Sam and Sam told his family about Quinn.

Within a year, Sam qualified for grants to pay his way to the New Haven Community College where he studied graphic design.

After three years, Sam and Quinn found themselves in Chicago…Quinn had a brand-new job at the Museum of Contemporary Art plus a brand-new last name. Sam had a job interning at Bark Design, plus he found a karaoke bar to keep singing.

A few weeks after landing in Chicago and getting settled in, Quinn called Sam to meet her for lunch at Navy Pier at a Mexican restaurant they had found soon after moving to Chicago.

He walked into the restaurant and saw her sitting at a booth already. She realized how much he had changed in the past 4 years, from the day she met him hitchhiking to today. His hair was short and neat, spiked up a little on top, wearing navy slacks and a white button-down shirt and striped tie, even decent work shoes. She remembered the worn-out sneakers he had on that day long ago.

"Hey sweety…this is a surprise…calling me for lunch…but it's great…I needed a break…" he said, sliding in right next to her, kissing her on the cheek.

"I've already ordered; I hope that's okay," she said while he nodded and sipped on his Coke. "Also, do you remember that song from long ago, the day we met, _Those Magic Changes_?"

"Yep, I'll never forget that day…" he said, kissing her again.

"More changes are about to happen…" she said. He then saw the tears in her eyes and knew immediately what she meant. They had been trying to get pregnant for a year.

"Really? _Really?_" he asked, grasping her hands.

She nodded, smiling and crying a little. "It was positive this morning…you're going to be a Daddy."

**Epilogue**

"And that's how I met your father," Quinn said, smiling and loading yet another box into her old VW. The memories of those couple days so many years ago still made her smile.

"Really Mom? I thought you met Daddy at college?" Melody replied. Then, an expression of realization crossed her features, so much like Quinn's but with Sam's eyes. "Is that why you two always dance when Grease is on? When _that song _is on?"

Quinn smiled, knowingly. It was nice to finally share their secret. Their oldest daughter, Melody, was packing the old VW to head to college. She was the first to know Sam and Quinn's secret with the exception of Sam's uncle in New York City.

"It's a break-up song, though, isn't it?" Melody asked her, humming parts of it.

"Well, yeah, it is but we didn't care at the time..." Quinn told her.

"Is that why Daddy took Danny for ice cream? Mom!" Melody cried, throwing her arms around Quinn. "That is so, so romantic!"

"I'm telling you this now because, with my own daughter, I don't really condone it. Do you understand, honey? It worked for me and Daddy somehow, some way, but your father and I agree it was probably not the smartest thing for me to stop and pick up a stranger," Quinn said, hating the words that came from her mouth. For the last twenty-two years, Sam had been nothing but her hero. She couldn't really remember a time when he had been a stranger to her.

A black SUV pulled into the driveway next to them. Sam and his son climbed out, each holding an ice cream for Quinn and Melody.

"So, are you going to tell Danny ever?" Melody whispered to Quinn.

"Your father will...he has his own version of the story..."

"Here ya go, Mel, your fave, mint chocolate," Sam said, handing her the cone. "Are you sure you remembered everything? I don't want to be making countless trips to Terre Haute to bring you things."

She giggled at her dad. She knew he'd drop whatever he was doing and rush to her if she called.

"I left the heaviest boxes for Danny in the house..." she said, looking at her younger brother who rolled his eyes.

"Jeez, thanks Mel..." he mumbled, finished his cone, and stalked off to the house. Quinn followed him to make sure he got the right boxes.

"So, mom told me why you won't let me drive to school alone...I get it now..." Melody said to Sam. He pulled his daughter into a tight hug. Leaving her at school was going to be difficult for him and Quinn both.

"We're going to miss you so much, Mel...and you know I'd bring you anything you need," he said. He looked down at her, so much like Quinn but it was like looking into his own eyes.

"I know you would, Daddy...I'm going to miss you all too but I'll be close to grandma and gramps," she reminded him. She had chosen to go to school near Sam's parents, to get a break from Chicago for awhile.

He sighed. "It'll just be...different."

Quinn and Danny returned from the house, Danny carrying a small box.

"Really, Melody? This was it?" he said to her. He set the box in the car's trunk and suddenly lunged at her, pulling her into a wrestling hold and tickling her. She squealed and tried to break the hold with no luck.

Quinn snuggled up to Sam, watching their two kids tickle-fight on the front lawn. Danny was a junior version of Sam with Quinn's eyes.

"Mel said you told her our story," Sam said. "I so hope it was the PG version."

"It was, of course," Quinn laughed. "Besides, I thought we could act out the X-rated version later tonight."

Sam smiled down at her. "I like the way you think, Quinn Evans." He kissed her on the cheek.

"Those magic changes, right? God, Sam Evans, I love you..." she whispered to him.

He whispered the same back to her, then they finished loading up Melody's car, locked up the house, and followed their daughter to college to help her move in.


	14. Blowing Off Steam

_**Blowing Off Steam**_

The room suddenly burst into yelling, shoving, tables being moved by the force of bodies being pushed into them.

"I think we should do it _this _way!" one male voice said harshly.

"I don't think the good Lord above would approve of _those_ dance maneuvers!" the other voice replied, piously.

"And who's been in Glee Club the longest, hippie?"

All eyes in the room fell on Sam when he uttered those words.

The banquet room assigned to New Directions at the Chicago W Hotel, where they were staying for Nationals, was split into three groups, most of the tables pushed out of the way. They were working on their choreography for their Edge of Glory number. Rachel and her group, Finn, Brittany, and Mike, were in one area; Quinn and her group, Noah, Santana, and Artie in another area; and the rest in the center of the room, Sam, Joe, Rory, Tina, Kurt, and Blaine. Mercedes had contracted some flu-like illness and was recovering in her room upstairs, away from the sudden mayhem.

"I just don't like the stripper moves, dude!" Joe blurted out suddenly.

Sam shoved him back into a table. Joe pushed off the table and threw himself at Sam. Then, Rory, Kurt, and Blaine flew into action to pull the boys apart and hold them apart while Mr. Schuester bleeted out some warnings about behavior and working together and Miss Pillsbury urged the two teens to settle down, it was all about working as a team and compromise with one another. Sam half expected her to whip out a pamphlet labeled _Settle Your Teen Shit Down!_

Quinn stood with her group, watching in amazement. Rachel stood across the room from her, her mouth hanging wide open at what was happening. Brittany gripped Finn's arm, also shocked. Mike stood with his hands on his hips as did Blaine, Rory, Joe, Noah, and Sam. Kurt had his arms crossed in front of his chest, one hip cocked out, as if all this was boring him to tears. Santana looked much like Kurt, rolling her eyes for effect.

Quinn's eyes fell again on Sam. She was still weakened from her accident but not her eyesight and she was pretty sure she was staring at the beginnings of a boner. _Sam Evans' boner_. The bulge in his gray sweatpants was hanging down but was thick and pushing out at the fabric. He wore a navy blue muscle shirt; his chest was heaving from the adrenaline rush, his biceps twitching. Something stirred deep within her and she had an idea.

She rushed up to Sam's side and grabbed his arm.

"C'mon, let's go take a breather," she said to him, pulling him away. To Mr. Schuester, she said, "We'll be back in a few…"

She pulled Sam outside the banquet hall and down a hallway of other conference rooms. She tried the door of a linen closet and surprisingly it opened. She yanked Sam inside and locked the door. At least it smelled like clean laundry in there.

"Dude, you've got to calm your nerves down…it's not helping any if we're all at odds," she said to him, turning to face him. She glanced downward at his pants; the bulge was still present. She pushed herself up on some stacked up hotel towels.

She knew Mercedes had been keeping him an arm's length away while she decided between him and Shane. As far as Quinn knew, Sam was not dating anyone else.

He growled. "I just wanted to…to…_punch_ him! So fucking bad!" He slammed his fist into the opposite palm.

The language surprised Quinn a bit but she let him vent.

"He's just so damn _righteous_…how else are we gonna win if we don't sell the sex a little bit?" Sam asked her.

She shrugged. "Maybe Joe has a point…we win on our own merits, not using our hot bodies."

He smirked a bit. "Yeah, well, ol' Joe wants your hot body."

She scowled a little. "What do you mean?"

"We had a little chat, about caving to urges…urges in his _pants_," Sam said. "With you," he added as an afterthought.

"Hmm…" She glanced again at his sweats. The bulge had grown some, she thought. He was turned on, by what she didn't know and didn't really care because now she was turned on too. "Urges in one's pants?"

Sam had been standing with his hands on his hips again, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. He seemed to pick up on her tone of voice then and took a step closer to her.

"Yeah…I told him to go for it…New Testament and all…but he's pretty solid in his beliefs…"

She snorted. "His dick was pretty solid against my thigh a couple weeks ago in therapy."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Really? Did you enjoy his solid dick?"

He took another step closer to her and rested his palms on her bare knees. She nibbled at her bottom lip. "Not so much his…"

The bulge in his sweats was now pointing straight at her, like he wanted her to see it and react to it. She felt the tingle between her thighs, then his hands slid up her thighs to her hips, pulling her roughly closer to him. When her groin hit his, they both groaned.

He slammed his mouth to hers. She whimpered against his lips, letting his tongue press against hers. She gripped his shoulders, then ran her fingers through his hair and tugged his face from hers.

"How bad do you want it, Sam?" she gasped. "You need a release and so do I."

Without taking his eyes off hers, he pulled her shorts and panties down in one rapid jerk. She lifted her hips briefly from the towels and felt her clothes fall away. She then watched him hook his thumb in his sweats and boxers and pull them away from his throbbing cock, now standing up tall, thick and ready.

He slid his cock up through her folds once, causing her to moan when he rubbed over her clit. Then, slowly, he slid back down to her waiting opening and positioned the head of his cock there. He took in the sight and grinned.

"How bad do _you_ want it? Look…" he said to her. His breath was heavy, and he licked his lips, readying himself to kiss her when he entered her.

She looked between them at his length poised to press into her at any moment.

"Let me…" Her voice didn't sound like her own. It was low, husky, _needing_.

She wrapped a hand around his dick and slid him up and down her a couple more times, teasing him at her entrance, and finally guided him into her slowly, both of them watching. Then, his mouth was on hers, hard, sucking at her bottom lip. He sunk into her, filling her, causing her to cry out with pleasure.

His hips were pumping into her, one hand bracing himself on the counter on which she sat and the other hand wrapped around her. She still clung to his shoulders. It was like an age's old dance, one that they knew very well. He pushed toward her; she raised her hips to him; then apart and back together. He was moving fast, pushing in and out of her, the friction causing a wonderful pleasure to course through her. She closed her eyes and leaned back, him leaning over her. He was thrusting hard now, staring at her, then mumbled, "God, how I've missed you."

"Yes, yes, now faster…god Sam…" she whispered to him, urging him to fill her.

Her nerve endings were on edge…just a couple more thrusts and she'd be falling into that beautiful state of being unaware, where she couldn't tell where she ended and he began. She arched her back and said his name.

"_S-Sam_…you…" The contractions coursed through her…pleasure, pleasure, almost too much to take. She wanted him to follow her, go off in her.

He was pounding into her now, his mouth working, sweat dripping onto her face from his forehead. He could feel it building deep inside, bubbling to the top, boiling over…

He jerked when the cum exploded out of him into her. It happened once, then again, then a third time…a couple more thrusts and a fourth time hit him, causing a great shudder to course through him from head to toe.

She let him keep pushing in and out of her as long as he needed to. Minutes passed by as they kept close together, locked in their lover's embrace, her head resting on his shoulder, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair. By this point, he had both arms wrapped around her, embracing her. Against the soft skin of her slender neck, he finally whispered, "Thank you, Quinn."

They parted a little and rested their foreheads against each other's. His penis slipped out of her softly.

"We both needed it," she replied, kissing him once more.

He nodded and smiled a quiet smile. He bent to pick up her shorts and panties and pulled his own clothing back into place.

She re-dressed and smoothed her hair and his. She smiled at him and started for the door of the closet. He grabbed her arm gently and turned her to face him.

"Maybe…maybe we might need this again…after the competition, ya know?" he said to her.

"There's a very good possibility of us needing it again," she said, smiling up at him.

He took her in his arms and kissed her again.

**A/N: This is based of the episode in S3 where ND goes to Nationals. Some of the details might be off about this scene because, let's face it, all I could focus on was Chord Overstreet's bulge in those sweats, hence this one-shot. Even though I wrote this, I am working on other stuff...I just get lazy when it comes to uploading. Sorry!**


	15. Spark

**_SPARK_**

**M-rated  
><strong>  
>The gentle rocking and squeaking of their queen-sized bed increased in intensity, as did their breathing, out of sync with one another yet together. He reached his climax, grunting into the pillow on which her head lay. He kept thrusting until he heard the familiar sound she made when she climaxed. He pushed up over her, smiling, and kissed her on the mouth. He rolled off her, lying side by side, both breathing heavily and both wondering what was missing.<p>

_xxxxx_

It had happened when Sam was a senior, still at McKinley, and Quinn came home from Yale that first Thanksgiving to visit. The New Directions did their _Grease _musical, and she attended along with a few other recent graduates. They hit it off then, a couple years after their original romance had dwindled. Both older and maybe wiser, they approached each other differently the second time around, more grownup. Before she returned to Yale, they had been on one tentative date to The Lima Bean. Her laugh made him dizzy; her eyes sparkled that night, so alive and unencumbered from her days at McKinley. She was getting used to the routine at Yale but still missed her old friends in Ohio. He did some impressions for her and earned a few stifled giggles and outright laughter. In parting that evening, he hugged her, and she realized she didn't know he was such a great hugger. She felt safe in his arms, at home. It confused her; she was supposed to be making her way at Yale, just visiting Lima, but why were his arms so perfect for her? He pecked her on the cheek, they exchanged email addresses, and went their separate ways.

After several emails, then calls, then even Skyping, and meeting again for coffee over Christmas vacation, which ended in a hesitant gentle kiss, Sam drove out to see where Quinn went to school during his spring break. She tried to break ties with what Ohio held over her, but, with Sam, it just wasn't possible.

Their first time happened then, at the end of his stay. He was hoping...god, how he was hoping...it'd happen but wasn't going to be disappointed if it didn't. It was an innocent, bumbling event, something he considered his _real _first time and hoped she did too.

Lying in her bed that night, giggling about their week together and wondering why it had to end so soon, making plans for their summer when she'd be back in Lima, he rolled to her to kiss her softly before slipping down to the floor where he had made up a bed of a sleeping bag and pillow.

"G'night, Quinn," he whispered to her after their lingering kiss, then rolled away, when she touched his upper arm.

"Stay..."

Somehow, with nervous fingers and his heart thumping nearly out of his chest, her room soon became decorated with tossed-off clothing and before he knew really what had happened he lay over her, naked skin on naked skin, panting nearly, unable to form words. She could, though.

"God, that was so good!"

They shared her bed that night, him curled behind her, and at some point in the middle of the night, it happened again...she came to him. They fell into a heavy dark satiated sleep afterward until the sun woke them.

That summer spent in Lima was probably the best of his life, in looking back on it, and Quinn agreed. They spent all their free time together; Sam was working at Burt Hummel's tire place full-time to save money for his move in the fall. He had been accepted to a new community college in New Haven, called Gateway, to study computer science while Quinn studied at Yale. He had somehow managed to snag a grant that covered nearly all his expenses, including an apartment. They remembered that summer as being full of hope and promise for their future together.

He had rented a studio apartment at a building called The Taft. Once moved in and settling in with his classes, he found a job at an oil change place since he had experience from working at Burt's. The next couple years were filled with bright spots of experiencing new things with Quinn and earning his associate degree in computer science. She was nearly done with her degree and trying to figure out how she wanted to proceed. One night, she lay on his bed surrounded by graduate school information and information on potential places to work. He had been preparing their supper when he heard her groan.

"I just don't know what to do!" she complained.

He turned the burner on low and went to her. He shoved the papers aside and sat on his knees in front of her.

"Marry me then," he proposed. That was an option she had not expected but one to which she agreed wholeheartedly.

That summer, after Quinn's graduation, they went to Kentucky where Sam's family lived and tied the knot in a small ceremony. Quinn was 22, Sam 21. They returned to New Haven shortly thereafter as Sam was on vacation from his job as an analyst in information technology at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Quinn would be starting her graduate studies soon to earn her master's degree in public health at the Yale School of Medicine. Sam had decided to further his education and was taking night classes at Southern Connecticut University to earn his bachelor's degree. They rented a small home, finally out of Sam's tiny apartment.

_xxxxx_

Now, one year after their wedding, they felt bogged down with school and work and were definitely stuck in a routine. They both didn't have to be anywhere until 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, so Tuesday night was Sam-on-top and Thursday night was Quinn-on-top. If they weren't too busy, they might squeeze in a third time over the weekend.

It was Thursday night, and Quinn was bouncing on top of Sam, doing what she needed to do to find her release. On Tuesdays, he went first; on Thursdays, she did.

"Babe, god, I'm close..." he mumbled to her.

She circled her hips, went fast, went slow, grinded down on him...he tried everything he could to hold off his orgasm but it was barreling down the pike while she kept bouncing on him. Sports, kittens, the reading he needed to do for class, videos that needed to be returned to the rental place, work...none of it helped his situation. He exploded up into her with a couple grunts. She leaned over him, her hair covering her sweaty face, then rolled off him.

After a few minutes, she said quietly, "That's never happened before..."

He knew what she meant. She wasn't one to fake her orgasms and she always climaxed. But not that night. Something didn't work for her.

"Well, I'm not letting you get by without one, so spread 'em!" he said, trying to make light of the situation, and began making his way down between her legs.

She stopped him. "No, it's okay. You have homework and so do I. I'll survive."

He was now positioned between her knees, ready to take care of her needs. The sight of her swollen tissue there stirred his loins again. "Are you sure? I kinda want to do this for you."

She laughed a bit and ran her hands through her hair. "Fine. Go for it."

Two minutes later, she was coming hard, thanks to his tongue and lips and teeth.

He slipped up next to her. "You're beautiful...in every way, Quinn."

She purred happily and curled up next to him, still enjoying her post-climax high.

Over the next few days, though, the thought nagged at Quinn. She was still attracted to Sam, very much so, but felt something was missing. They had always been compatible in bed but had fallen into this routine. She needed something new with him. He could tell it was on her mind, but he wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

He didn't have to worry for long. It all came to a head over the weekend.

"I need to read, _a lot_, do you think you can throw the clothes in the wash? I'll toss them in the dryer later," Quinn asked him on Saturday. He had one foot out the door on the way to his Saturday morning class.

"Quinn, I've got class today...remember?"

She sighed heavily. "Fine...I'll do the laundry but I'll text you a list for the grocery." She stomped out of the living room to their bedroom to start collecting dirty clothes.

As he closed the front door, he heard her grumble, "Dirty socks don't belong on your nightstand, Samuel!"

He fumed as he drove to campus. She knew Saturdays were busy for him, class first, then 8 hours at the hospital. Not only that, he always did most of the grocery shopping. He slammed the steering wheel. She was just doing this to piss him off. _If I can just get through today, I can have Sunday to relax and catch up on some sports_, he thought.

Before class was over, she had texted him a list that was separated into three texts, it was so long. He texted her back, reminding her that payday was still five days away, there was no way he could afford everything on her list.

_Figure something out then! _was her response. He ignored that.

By the time he returned home that night and put away what groceries he could afford, he finally stopped to say hello to her where she was reading in their second bedroom. She grunted at him and turned a page sharply in the gigantic book she held.

"The guys are going out for a beer...I'm meeting them at Lucky's," he told her, going straight to his closet in the second bedroom to find a clean shirt. "Where's my black button-up?"

"Laundry..." she mumbled.

He sighed and went to the laundry room just off the garage and checked the dryer. No clothes. In the washer, he found his black button-up, covered in bleach stains. He fumed. Clutching the damp shirt, he stomped back to Quinn.

"This was in the load in the washer, Quinn! You bleached it!" he said, thoroughly angry, shaking the shirt at her and then threw it on the bed. She looked at where he tossed it on the bed as if she had never seen it before. She threw down her book and ran from the room to their bedroom and slammed the door. He followed her and stood outside their bedroom.

"It's always about you, Quinn! When is it ever about me?" He realized he sounded pissy but he couldn't stop it. "You always have to read for your classes. You never have to work. You barely help me out around the house! I'm working full-time and going to school, yet it's all about you! You couldn't pull my fucking black shirt out of that load of laundry? You know it's my favorite stupid shirt and you just...you just don't care!" She was silent on the other side of the door. He leaned against the door, resting his head against it. In a more calm voice, he muttered, "What the hell is going on, Quinn? Where's the problem? What more do I need to do?"

He tried the knob and found it unlocked. He entered the room slowly. She lay flat on her back on their bed, hands clasped over her chest, her eyes wide open. He sat down on his side of the bed.

"Why are we fighting, Quinn? I didn't mean to yell about the damn shirt, I-"

"I need something more, Sam," she said calmly.

He held up his hands, gesturing to their room, the house, their lives. "What more, Quinn? What more could I possibly give you?"

She looked at him. "It's not you, Sam; it's me."

He stared at her, not liking where this conversation was leading. "What are you talking about, Quinn? Of course it's not you...it's not me either."

"We're in a rut, Sam...I put us in a rut and now we need to get ourselves out."

He rolled his eyes. "There is no rut, Quinn! Once we get through school, maybe we can add to our family, have decent jobs, own our own home...what're you talking about?"

"Everything we do is a routine...and frankly, it's boring me. We go to school, you go to work, I study, we eat out on Friday nights, housework on Sunday after church, even the _sex_ is scheduled!" She was sitting up now, facing him, but at the word _sex _she studied the bedspread. "Sex was never scheduled before."

He agreed. After his visit that one spring break, they had both been insatiable for one another. He lost track of how many boxes of condoms he went through that summer; he just remembered being a regular at the drugstore weekly.

He chuckled a bit, now knowing what the problem was. "I never thought sex would be our problem."

"Me either. Sam, I love you more than anything...it's hard for me to put it into words. I miss that spark we had back then. I want it back, Sam, help me get it back..."

He leaned into her and kissed her. The kiss turned passionate until she had crawled around to his lap and straddled him. He was still in his work clothes, black slacks and a polo shirt. She pulled the shirt over his head roughly, then messed with his pants until he was out of them.

His dick was reddened, rigid, hot. He was at a loss for words; this flared up before he could even think. No time for panties; she moved the crotch aside and let him guide himself up into her. Immediately, she pushed down on him, swallowing him into her body, making him groan in ecstasy. He hooked a thumb in her panties and she gripped his shoulders, pumping herself up and down on him, his other hand holding onto her ass.

It took no time before she came, whisper-yelling his name as loudly as she dared (close neighbors). Her hot breath tickled his ear, and he lost control.

"Fucking hell..." he grunted, coming inside her. Gasping for a breath, he asked her, "Is that the spark?"

She laughed deep in her throat and nodded. "More of it...I want _more _of that."

_xxxxx_

They started looking for ways to add spark to their time together. One Wednesday morning, Sam rolled over on top of Quinn and whispered he was going to take her again, how did she want it? They wound up in the shower. One Saturday night, Quinn came home after doing a little shopping and donned a new tight housedress, accentuating every curve she had, complete with a pair of stockings with a seam up the back of her leg plus garters, lipstick and pearls, and was waiting with dinner ready when Sam got home from work. Before supper, though, he set her on the counter and whispered a _thank you_ when he found she had on crotchless panties. She met him at adult toy store one evening, and they giggled at what they saw but came away from there with a bag full of new toys to try out. Quinn liked the tiny vibrator, the size of a thumb, which got her off in less than 30 seconds. Sam had an issue with a rubber cock ring that snapped him twice when he tried to take it off. The KY jelly was a hit for both of them.

Lying next to each other, spent after multiple rounds of desire, Sam held Quinn's hand and asked, "Have you ever wanted to do anything kinda kinky?"

"Like how kinky?"

"Just...I dunno...this guy at Lucky's was talking about being watched the other night..."

"Being watched?"

"Him and his woman...they were doing it and someone watched them...he said it was a huge turn-on..."

Quinn sat up to gawk at Sam. "Do _you_ want someone to _watch _us?"

His eyes got big. "No! No, not really..."

She lay back down. "I suppose I have something in mind, maybe..."

Now he leaned up over her, smiling. "Spill it..."

She bit her lip a little, which always made him shiver. "Don't laugh, okay?"

"I promise..."

"I want to do it outside..." she said, barely above a whisper.

He looked at her a moment, taking in what she said. "Like, in the backyard?"

"No silly!" she said, slapping at him playfully. "Outside..._in public_."

His eyes got big, understanding what she meant. "We could try. Couldn't we get in trouble if we get caught?"

"We'd just have to not get caught," she replied.

He smiled. "I think I like your idea."

_xxxxx_

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Quinn was just finishing up with her class. She was looking forward to getting home and relaxing with Sam on this late spring day. A hint of summer was in the air, and she was looking forward to spending as much time with him as possible, working on rebuilding their spark. Their attempts of the past few months had helped a lot, and Quinn no longer felt like they were in a depressing rut. Sam texted her as she walked to her car.

_Can you meet me somewhere?_ he asked.

_Sure, where?_

_The park behind the school n do me a favor..._

_What_

_Put on a skirt n leave ur panties at home_

Just reading those words made her moist.

She met him 15 minutes later at the park entrance near his school. They had picnicked here before when he had classes most of the day and she didn't, just to spend a little time together. Their time together today, though, had an entirely different meaning.

She chose a baby blue sundress, the skirt full and billowy about her knees, the bodice crisscrossed in navy blue stitching. No panties. A breeze lifted her skirt slightly as she walked up to Sam. He reached out and took her hands in his.

"You ready for this?" he asked her. She nodded, blushing, and looking at her sandals.

"Let's take a walk then," he said quietly, leading her to the pathway to the park. "You look stunning, by the way."

"Thank you, Samuel. Tell me, why today?"

"The weather is nice, the park is close. Kids are in school so hopefully we won't be seen by any of their young impressionable eyes. And, I'm horny as hell."

He squeezed her hand lightly and followed a trail into the woods that led to a nearby river.

"I'm nervous," she confided. "But so, so excited."

She looked at him then, wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt and olive green cargo pants, his dark blonde hair shining in the afternoon sun. They slipped deeper into the woods.

"Okay, where at? I'm ready whenever you are," he said to her, moving her hand over the front of his pants. She felt him getting hard.

"I'm not sure...a bench?"

They were coming up on an overlook that showed gorgeous views of the valley and a river below, complete with benches, a railing, and picnic area.

"Perfect...except these benches are stone." He sat down on one. "And cold!"

She laughed at his silliness and began looking around. The woods were quiet. Every once in awhile a voice would be carried on the breeze, but she couldn't actually see anyone nearby or at least who could see _them_. She pushed herself up to sit on the railing, looking out at the rushing river below. He came over to her, standing off to her side a bit but facing her, and kissed her neck, then sucked at her neck. She hummed slightly at his touch. Her hand rested on his arm that was draped around her waist, then moved up to his shoulder. He stopped kissing her long enough to stealthily move between her knees, then his mouth was on hers, hungry. His hands bunched her skirt up her thighs, enough so he could peek down and see her nakedness. He was achingly hard then. She felt his manhood through his pants, pressing into her thigh. She reached down and unzipped his pants, seeing a flash of his white underwear he had slid on that morning. He was now groaning as he kissed her with a palm planted firmly on her breast while his free hand fished his cock out of his underwear.

"Oh god, I can't believe I'm about to fuck you right here in broad daylight, in a public place...god..." he growled into her neck.

He moved in as close as he could to her. She was extremely thankful that the railing she sat upon was fairly modern and made of some weather-resistant material and not wood. No worry of a stray splinter interrupting their fun.

"Lemme see it..." she mumbled, looking between them. He was poking through his briefs, stiff and pink.

"What if a bird craps on it?" he asked with a disgusted look on his face, then glancing to the sky.

"Then stick it someplace it won't get crapped on!" She pulled him in close for another hot kiss.

Somehow, they managed to bring their hips together, and she felt his tip poking at her. After some wriggling around on the rail, she finally felt him slide into her. She let her head drop back, eyes closed, feeling the sun's warmth streaming through the trees onto them. She was vaguely aware of his panting into her shoulder. She wrapped her legs around his thighs and realized his butt was still covered up. She glanced down between them and realized he never unbuttoned his pants.

"God, you're smart..." she whispered, making him chuckle.

It felt glorious to her, to be with him as nature or God or whatever intended, free in nature...to a degree since they were still clothed. He was moving in and out of her slowly, enjoying the sensation. They each stole a peek between them. His cock shined with her juices; her flesh was swollen and sensitive.

Then, they both heard the voices and footfalls coming down the trail to the picnic area.

"Oh no..." They both mumbled, for different reasons. It was too soon to stop, she thought. They had just really got started; it felt great. She moaned when he pulled out of her, tucking himself back in his pants. He then leaned against the railing at her side, away from the approaching hikers, and she realized he was shaking next to her.

She adjusted her skirt quickly and asked him if he was okay.

He looked at her, his face flushed and sweaty. "I just came in my pants."

They immediately went home and once inside the front door he picked her up in his arms, kissing her furiously. He walked them briskly to their bedroom where he laid her on their bed, her skirt again up around her hips. He knelt between her legs and unfastened his now-sticky pants, pushing them down and off. He nudged her knees apart with his knees and plowed into her. The sex was rough and hurried and more passionate than it ever had been between them.

At the end, they were both gasping for their breath, covered in sweat, sticking together.

"God_damn_, Quinn, that was insane!" Sam finally said, his face buried in a pillow next to her.

"Lots more...more of it!" she cried, rolling over on him to tickle him into fits of laughter.

They did do that, more of it, all that summer until it became too cold for their escapades out of doors. In a way, that was okay because Quinn was waking up sick those fall mornings. Finally, she had an inkling of what might be causing it and took a test. Sam waited outside the bathroom, sitting on their bed. She joined him while waiting for the results.

She took his hand. "It might happen sooner than we expected. What do you think?"

He looked at her. "I'd be so happy, Quinn. There are no words."

They were quiet for a couple more minutes. "I guess all the fun we had this summer...something finally broke through the pill's defenses."

She chuckled, though nervously. He stood, pulling her along with him. "I'm ready...I can't wait anymore..."

He pulled her into the bathroom and picked up the one of the three sticks on the sink. He turned to her smiling.

He embraced her tightly. "You make me so happy..."

_xxxxx_

A few years later, they had three mini Sams and one mini Quinn running around, all of whom they called their sparks, each one conceived in nature. Quinn felt a bit hippie-ish when she chose their middle names: Samuel Rook, William Birch, Tristan Rip, and Lucy Mimi. Only she and Sam knew the meanings of their children's special names.

"Sammy! Billy! Tris! Lucy! Quinn Evans! Let's go!" Sam hollered from the driveway up to their home. The kids tumbled out the door, the oldest now 12 and the youngest 6. Quinn followed lastly, locking up before going to the minivan.

"Where to today, pops?" she asked him when she got in after making sure the kids were all strapped in. It was a lovely summer Saturday in New Haven and on Saturdays they did something as a family. Sam had kept this day's adventure a surprise from even Quinn.

"You'll see..." he said, backing out of the drive.

They wound up at a familiar park.

"Didn't Dad go to school here?" their oldest, Samuel, asked.

"Yep...I spent a lot of time _hiking_ in these woods, too, as did your mother," Sam replied.

"I wouldn't exactly call it _hiking_, Sam," she whispered to him, slipping her hand in his.

"It was definitely something...look at what it produced," he said, waving his arm at the four kids running ahead of them.

"Samuel, take Lucy's hand please! Billy Birch! You take Tristan's hand!" Quinn yelled after her blonde-haired brood. She always loved to look at the four of them together, so similar yet so unique. Each had blonde hair yet different shades of blonde.

"I love how you give orders," Sam said, tugging her hand and pulling her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply. She nearly swooned.

They overheard grumbling from their kids about having to hold hands, then the oldest said, "Ugh! They're kissing..._again_!"

Sam and Quinn broke their kiss, smiling at one another, and then jogged to catch up to their children.

"I'll be kissing her until the end of our days, young man," Sam said to his oldest, ruffling his hair.

"Kiss me again, Sparky!" Quinn said, laughing. Sam obliged, taking her in his arms and dipping her low, then kissing her softly.

"'Til the end of our days…" she whispered to him.


	16. Hungry

_**Hungry**_

**Disclaimer: As per usual, I own nothing of Glee.**

He felt her eyes on him the day Schue introduced him to Glee Club. She scanned him up and down, her eyes finally resting on his crotch. He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment...that this girl was staring so intently at him and in front of a bunch of other kids he didn't know. It was bad enough being introduced to a bunch of new kids but then to have this blonde girl, obviously a cheerleader wearing an impossibly short skirt, gazing at him apparently on the edge of orgasm...it was fairly uncomfortable. He made some lame joke about his name and took a seat, still feeling her eyes burning into him.

_God, his hair is out of fucking control! And his eyes...his eyes are the same color blue as that dumb jacket he's wearing that totally covers up his broad shoulders...oh my god...his smile...jesus, just make me come right here_...Quinn thought, trying to keep her face bland while her eyes drifted down the guy's body, stopping at his crotch. _I wonder what it looks like...his fingers are long...maybe his dick is too? Is he blonde down there? I need to see it, touch it..._She glanced around, no one was paying attention to her so she went back to staring at the guy. _I feel like a stalker...a stalker with a dick fetish...oh well, I could be worse things..._

_xxxxx_

Over the next few weeks, Sam became aware of a very disconcerting feeling of being watched..._a lot_. Sometimes he'd catch her staring at him, most times not. On the football field, where he'd work out with the guys, running sprints only due to his healing shoulder, he'd feel her searing gaze from where she led the Cheerios. Sometimes while lifting in the gym, he'd feel her eyes on him. Definitely in Glee Club and a couple other classes, she'd stare a hole right through him. Once, while showering alone after practice and lifting, he heard the tiniest noise and turned to look over his shoulder and could've sworn he saw the red and white pleats of a skirt go flipping away. And, whenever he caught her looking, she was always looking at one thing. He decided to do the same thing back to her, because admittedly she _was _easy on the eyes, but she'd catch him looking and her stare always made him blush and look away.

And then they got paired up for the duet competition. That was the most awkward thing in the world. He chose the song and then worked with her on learning a couple guitar chords. Most of the time she just looked at him though. Or, more specifically, the zipper on his jeans.

_I can barely contain myself when he's standing next to me...when he touches me...oh my god..._Quinn thought feverishly one day while they practiced their duet. Her outward appearance did not belie what she felt inside, though; she kept an icy exterior. _I wonder what he'd do if I just started rubbing him there? Dear god, the thought of him having an erection is setting me off!_

For a moment, from the way she glared at him, Sam thought Quinn might slap him. The other guys had informed him about her past and not to try anything with her. He had just moved her fingers to the strings of the guitar, standing slightly behind her and to her right. The way her head whipped around to shoot death rays into his skull when his groin touched her hip had him quivering. But she didn't hit him. She didn't do anything...just stared at him...then let her eyes dip downward. He saw it that time...the way she barely bit her lip...as if trying to hold something back. Her eyes flitted back up to meet his and he suddenly knew. Or at least he thought he knew what was up.

From the way she continued to stare openly at his junk, Sam was pretty sure now that Quinn wanted him...despite the other guys telling him she was the ice queen. She wasn't even trying to disguise her stares now, and he caught her quite often looking at him as if in a trance. She'd notice _him_ looking at _her_, and she'd snap out of it. Now that he was paying some attention to her, he could see why she was so popular at that school. She was gorgeous, had the perfect figure, her hair and makeup seemed to be expertly done, and, when wearing street clothes, she was a fashion icon. He also saw her be a bitch to most everyone at some point during the day...but never to him. The only expression he got from her was indifference. The hunger in her eyes gave her away, though. In watching her, he found he couldn't keep his eyes off her ass, especially in that Cheerios uniform. The way she walked had a way of kicking up the pleats of the skirt, and he'd catch a glimpse of her red Spanx underneath every once in awhile. On more than one occasion, after witnessing her walking in front of him, he'd head to class blushing and trying to hide his boner.

_I know he knows now...and now he's checking me out..._Quinn thought, walking past Sam at his locker, making sure to put a little extra mmph into her step to flip the pleats out over her ass. She could feel his eyes following her as she made her way down the hallway like royalty. _If I don't have him soon, I might damn well explode!_

_xxxxx_

After a few weeks of uncomfortable stares and sneaky looks, Quinn was about to burst. An opportunity finally presented itself...Regionals were being held in Columbus...they didn't perform until around 6 o'clock...they had to wait for the results to be announced...then, a pitch-black drive back to Lima on the school bus. After changing into a t-shirt and a pair of red nylon basketball shorts, sans briefs, Sam found a seat on the bus near the back. Once the ride home started, he felt the familiar eyes burning a hole in his back. He glanced over his shoulder and caught Quinn looking away quickly, sitting alone in the last seat.

_Crap...he saw me looking...ugh...why did he have to wear those shorts? I could literally see his dick swinging from side to side as he made his way to his seat..._she thought, frustrated beyond belief. _Just keep staring out the window, cross your legs tightly, don't let him know..._

"Do you mind?" He was suddenly sitting right next to her. "You know? Me sitting here? Is this seat taken?"

He chuckled quietly to himself after seeing her shocked expression. She squeezed her legs more tightly together and shook her head _no _in response. He casually put his arm on the seat behind her and leaned in close to her.

"I know what you want, Quinn..." he whispered to her. "Go ahead...touch it."

She had resumed looking out the window, but, when he whispered that in her ear, her head whipped around to face him.

"Pardon me?" she asked, as haughtily as possible. _Keep your eyes on his eyes...do not look down!_

It was he who glanced down at his lap, then back at her with a smirk. "I know you want to..." His fingers dangled behind her bare shoulder (she had changed back into her Cheerios uniform). She stared him down for a few moments, then he saw the quickest of looks to his crotch. He sat slouched a bit, his legs spread open. With all this tension between them, she wondered if he was feeling anything below the belt. She hoped he wanted this as badly as she did.

She continued to stare at him, wondering if he was messing with her or not. She uncrossed her legs and looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap.

"Here..." he said quietly and took her hand. He brought it over slowly to the front of his shorts and placed it over his cock. She sucked in her breath.

_He's not kidding! Oh my god...he wants me to do this!_ Her mind was in overdrive now. He adjusted his hips a bit, and she felt his penis move under her hand. With her index finger, she traced the outline of it, feeling all the landmarks easily under the one layer of fabric. He hung straight down, but, at her light touch, she felt him getting hard. She kept stroking him with one finger, as if in shock that she finally had access to him.

"Ya know, if you're gonna touch my wang, you gotta let me kiss you," he said finally. She met his eyes, still not saying anything, but then closed her eyes and let her mouth fall into a kissing stance, waiting on his lips to touch hers. The sight of her waiting on him to kiss her, her hand now palming his junk, nearly sent him into orbit. He turned to face her a bit more and leaned in to her shiny pink lips.

At first, the kiss was chaste, hesitant, but then he felt her come alive under his touch. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him, and almost couldn't believe it when he felt her lips part against his and her tongue search for his.

She began stroking him, feeling him get hard. Kissing him was not nearly enough; she sucked at his lip, then nipped at him, moaned his name into his mouth.

"Sam…Sam…" It was all she could manage to say.

Her breathy voice against his lips was driving him crazy. He could feel the length of his cock hardened against his thigh, the heat from her palm driving him into a frenzy. His hips pressed against her hand with her rhythm. Over his shorts was not enough for him or her, it seemed.

"Touch it, Quinn…put your hand on it…" he whispered.

She groaned in response. Her fingers sought the waistband of his shorts, and he helped her move the clothing from his throbbing member. Once the offensive fabric was out of the way, they both stopped kissing and stared down at his cock. To him, it had never looked larger. Even in the shadowy dark back of the bus, they both could tell it was reddened, engorged, standing away from his body. She could feel the heat radiating from him.

She hesitantly wrapped her hand around his cock. Her mouth was open against his, wanting to touch him there and his groin. She felt the tip of his tongue poke into her mouth; she squeezed his cock.

"Mmmm…" he moaned. "God, yes…"

She brought her hand up to the head of his dick, running her fingers around his tip, trying to memorize how he felt in her hand. She slid her hand back down to cup his balls. She juggled them gently in her hand; they felt full, warm, sweaty.

His hand joined hers to begin jerking him off.

"God…so sexy…" she mumbled. "Yes, Sam, show me how…"

He pushed her hand down, brought it back up, then down again.

"You've wanted me for…a…long time, yeah?"

She nodded. "Yes…yes…"

Her hand began going faster. "I wanted to see it…feel it…"

He kissed her hard.

"…and taste it…"

Suddenly, she bent over and shoved her head into his lap, sucking his cock into her mouth as far as she could. She moaned on his cock, tasting the sweat and pre-cum on her tongue. He shuddered, all the way through his body, then scooted his hips down on the seat and thrust into her mouth.

Sam sucked in his breath, held it, then hissed it out when he realized Quinn's mouth was sucking on him. This, he had not expected. Her hand on him, yes; her mouth was an entirely different scenario, one that he could not really control for very much longer.

His cock was warm in her mouth. She could taste the pre-cum and feel his trembling. His moans floated down to her ears when she sucked harder on him. She used her tongue to dance around the tip and underneath the head. She could feel him throbbing in her mouth. He worked his hands into her hair and began to gently thrust up into her mouth. She came close to gagging when his penis pushed farther down her throat than she anticipated, but she swallowed back the choke and kept sucking, making him whimper softly.

Her lips and tongue felt incredible on him, unbelievable almost. He had never been given a blowjob nor had he lost his virginity so this was all new territory for him. She'd suck him harder and he'd lose his train of thought. He hesitantly touched her hair, weaving his fingers into her golden tresses, and moved his hips up to her mouth. He felt her gag a little so he tried to back off. Yet, he felt himself drifting further and further away from his body, away from reality...his entire body was tingling and on edge...he closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the seat, losing himself in the intense pleasure he was experiencing. He felt it boiling beneath the surface...he was close to cumming...he tapped her hurriedly, on her shoulder, her head, he wasn't sure...he was sure that he was about to explode a ton of his jizz into her mouth if she didn't move.

She stayed in place and his orgasm shot into her mouth, down her throat...she pulled away from him to catch her breath and his cum hit her in the face...she kept licking his head...it was still pouring out of him...she sucked gently, trying to taste every drop she could...she looked up at him, caught his gaze, and smiled. He watched his cum trail down her cheek...

"Hey...this seat taken?"

Quinn jumped a foot, squeezing her eyes closed even more, trying to enjoy the aftershocks of her orgasm. This was quite possibly a first for her, _fantasizing _herself to the point of cumming. She looked over, first at the red nylon shorts, then up to his blue eyes.

"So? This seat?" he asked again, pointing at the open space next to her.

"No one is sitting there..." she finally eked out.

"Cool...you looked kinda spacey back here so I thought I'd come say hi. So hi," Sam said to her, nudging her a bit with his shoulder, trying to get any kind of response out of her.

She kept staring out her window, trying to avoid any kind of contact with him. Her hand, however, was trapped between her thigh and his.

"So...what's up? What is it they say? About your thoughts? Like a dime or something?"

She turned to look at him with as much disdain as she could muster. "A _penny_ for your _thoughts_..."

He snapped. "That's it! Alright...so, I'll have to owe ya a few cents...what's on your mind?"

_If only you knew..._she thought to herself. _Oh, I was just thinking about sucking you off here in the back of the bus and doing more when we got back to Lima...I wonder what he'd say if I just told him that..._

"Nothing...not really..." she finally replied.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause I have noticed you looking at me..._a lot_..." he said to her quietly. "What is it that you want, Quinn Fabray?"

She was quiet in response. How could she tell him what she wanted? He'd laugh in her face and tell the other guys and again her reputation would be ruined.

She felt his hand slip between his thigh and hers and he worked his fingers together with hers. His hand was warm, strong. He lifted her hand slowly to his lips and kissed her. His lips on her skin sent chills all through her body.

"Okay, I'll tell you what I want then..." he said. "I want to get to know you better, Quinn. You're like a mystery, and I need to solve it. Do you think maybe you'd like to go have dinner with me sometime?"

"To dinner?"

"Yeah..." He smiled at her. "Maybe Breadstix again? That first not-a-date dinner was a little awkward. So, wha'd'ya say?"

She realized he was stroking her hand with his thumb, both their hands resting on his thigh. He was nervous too but trying to conceal it.

"Dinner sounds like a wonderful idea, Sam," she said finally, smiling to herself.

"Okay...cool..." he said quietly, still holding her hand.

By the time they reached Lima, Quinn was leaning on Sam's shoulder, fast asleep. Before waking her, he leaned over and inhaled the scent of her hair...something floral, clean. He closed his eyes and desperately wanted to kiss her awake but stopped himself. The bus ran over the curb turning into the parking lot of the high school and jolted Quinn awake. She sat back, looking at Sam in surprise.

"I'm sorry...your arm must be asleep," she said, removing her hand from his.

"I'm good...really...it was okay," he replied. The bus parked, and people began exiting. "I can carry your stuff to your car, if you want me to."

She regarded him a bit suspiciously. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

He picked up her duffel bag and his, and she followed him off the bus. She unlocked her car and he put her duffel bag in her back seat.

"So..." he said, after shutting the door.

"So..." she said, blushing.

"Dinner, then?" he asked, looking down at her, willing her to look up at him.

"That'd be nice, thank you," she answered him, finally meeting his eyes. She batted her eyelashes, not really meaning to, just a force of habit.

Her lips looked so kissable in the moonlight and her eyes were shining. He felt himself leaning in toward her. He put two fingers under her chin and tipped her mouth up to his. Slowly, him watching her and her watching him, their lips met tentatively. They closed their eyes and allowed themselves to enjoy the kiss. A million thoughts flew through Quinn's mind during the short chaste kiss. All the stolen peeks, glances, hidden looks over the past few weeks were racing through her mind…she had him…she was going to have him.

Her lips parted ever so slightly. She touched his lips with the very tip of her tongue, inhaled, and pulled away from him.

"I'm hungry, Sam...so hungry..." she whispered to him.

He smiled against her lips and pulled her in closer.


	17. Wanted

_**Wanted**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee or Hunter Hayes' song Wanted. I just think it'd be awesome to hear Chord Overstreet sing it.**

The lights dimmed for the next performance. Sam could hear the crowd murmuring, a little laughter here and there, shuffling around, people waiting to dance again. He was jittery with nerves but approached the microphone stand on stage, nodding to the band and Brad the piano guy behind him and then to the lights guy. Suddenly, the spotlight was on him alone, and, after a piano introduction, he began to sing a capella...

_You know I'd fall apart without you,  
>I don't know how you do what you do,<br>'Cause everything that don't make sense about me,  
>It makes sense when I'm with you.<em>

The band kicked in, then the disco ball suspended above the gym floor began to spin slowly. The crowd had watched him sing the opening bars in silence, then chose their partner and began dancing. He kept his eyes trained on the bedazzled microphone, the floor, his shoes...anywhere but the crowd of people in front of him shuffling to the song. He hoped she was there. He hoped he heard his words. They were for her, always for her.

_Like everything that's green, girl I need you,  
>But it's more than one and one makes two,<br>So put aside the math and the logic of it,  
>You gotta know you're wanted too.<em>

He finally allowed himself a quick glance at the dance floor. He saw his friends dancing together, watching him, knowing who the song was for. Kurt was Blaine's date; Finn and Rachel were together again; Mike and Tina had made amends and he held her tightly. He caught Brittany's eye and smiled at her; she was in Santana's arms, where she truly belonged, he had learned. Marley and Ryder were lost in one another, not paying a lot of attention to him. Kitty and Jake were dancing but both looked pissed off. Mercedes was back and was dancing with Teen Jesus; they both seemed comfortable with one another. Artie had a pretty red-haired girl on his lap, spinning her around the floor. Mr. Schue was back and dancing with his spouse, Mrs. Schue nee Pillsbury; they smiled up at him. The prom brought out the best...and the worst...of people, he had found. This was his senior prom, and this year...he was going to make it count. A familiar blonde caught his eye, moving closer to the center of the dancers. She was there; she was alone; she was listening to him.

_I wanna wrap you up,  
>I wanna kiss your lips,<br>I wanna make you feel wanted...  
>I wanna call you mine,<em>

_I wanna hold your hand forever,_  
><em>And never let you forget it,<em>  
><em>Yeah I...wanna make you feel wanted.<em>

She caught his gaze now; he couldn't stop staring at her even if someone had tried to pry his eyes away. She wore a gold form-fitting sequined strapless gown and it cast sparkles of light on her...she glowed in it. Her skin was slightly tanned; her hair swept up, accentuating her perfect slim neck and shoulders. She looked nervous, hesitant, clutching a tiny purse with both her hands. She listened to him sing.

_Anyone can tell you you're pretty,  
>And you get that all the time, I know you do,<br>But your beauty's deeper than the makeup,  
>And I wanna show you what I see tonight.<em>

Her lips parted slightly as she heard his words and felt his eyes on her. His heart beat swiftly in his chest. The sequins on her dress picked up the light from the disco ball, and, to him, the room held only her and him.

_When I wrap you up,  
>When I kiss your lips,<br>I wanna make you feel wanted.  
>I wanna call you mine,<em>

_Wanna hold your hand forever,_  
><em>And never let you forget it,<em>  
><em>'Cause baby, I...wanna make you feel wanted.<em>

It was now or never, he knew it. He hopped down off the stage, bringing the mike along with him. He stood before her.

_As good as you make me feel,  
>I wanna make you feel better,<br>Better than your fairy tales,  
>Better than your best dreams...<em>

_You're more than everything I need..._  
><em>You're all I ever wanted...<em>  
><em>All I ever wanted...<em>

Her lips curved up into a smile; her eyes were shiny with tears. They stood still in the moment, gazing at one another. She held out her hand to him, and he took it, stepping closer to her. She moved her arms up to his shoulders; her body fit against his perfectly. He embraced her and continued singing.

_And I just wanna wrap you up,  
>Wanna kiss your lips,<br>I wanna make you feel wanted…  
>And I wanna call you mine,<em>

_Wanna hold your hand forever,_  
><em>And never let you forget it<em>  
><em>Yeah I, wanna make you feel wanted,<em>  
><em>Baby I, wanna make you feel wanted,<em>

_'Cause you'll always be wanted._

Sam turned off the microphone and handed it off to Finn to give to the next performer. He looked at Quinn, unsure, then kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips, before hugging her tightly and kissing her bare shoulder gently. He heard her slight gasp.

"I've always wanted you, Quinn..." he whispered to her. "You're all I've ever wanted."

She reached for his hand and squeezed gently. She then kissed him on the lips sweetly. In his heart, he knew his dream had come true and was dancing in his arms.

**A/N: I know a lot of Chord/Sam's fans really like him being with Brittany right now, and I agree it's cute. I'm kinda stuck on Sam/Quinn as endgame though, even though I /might/ try to write Bram sometime.**


	18. Right Down The Line

_**Right Down The Line**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee or this song by Gerry Rafferty.**

The ice-cold red cherry slushie froze his face. In fact, he felt frozen to the spot where it had been so callously thrown at him, just a few steps outside the boys' locker room. He felt a hand take him by the crook of the elbow and lead him away from that spot. He found himself in the girls' locker room, standing in front of a sink with a towel being shoved into his hands.

"Here," she said to him, turning on the warm water and using her own towel to knock off chunks of cherry slushie that hadn't quite melted yet. "They suck...the slushie facials do and the idiot puckheads who throw them."

He was working on getting the red out of his blonde hair. He looked up at her when she spoke though. "_You've _been slushied?"

She nodded. "Last year..."

He was literally just gazing at her at this point. She was one of the Cheerios, he had gathered that by the red and white nice-fitting uniform she wore and her hair pulled back severely in a high ponytail. Her eyes, though, pulled him in and made him woozy, maybe even a little weak in the knees.

"_Lor menari_," he mumbled.

She looked at him as if he was nuts.

"It means you have pretty eyes..." Still nothing from her. No hint of recognition at all. "Na'vi? From Avatar?"

She said nothing but kept her eyes on him. It sounded like he was babbling. He decided to change the subject. "So, you got slushied?"

At this, something lit up in her eyes. "Yeah...it was a blue raspberry one...I looked like a creature from Avatar _down there _for days."

She snorted a bit, then realized exactly what she had said. Something stirred in his jeans at the thought of her _down there_.

"So you've seen Avatar? I've seen it like six times," he went on. She was wiping slushie off the side of his face and his shoulder.

"Uh, no..." she answered.

"Maybe some time I could take you and we could see it togeth-"

She shoved her towel at him. "I gotta get to practice." She turned on her heel and practically ran from the locker room. He stood there holding the two towels, watching the pleats in her skirt flip this way and that. He looked in the mirror once she was gone and realized he couldn't wipe the smile from his face even if he tried. He also realized he didn't even know the girl's name.

_xxxxx_

_Quinn_, her name was Quinn. He learned that later when he joined the school's Glee Club. Somehow, he got paired with her for a duet competition and talked her into performing a song called "Lucky." There were a couple bumps along the way to that performance, including one near-kiss in the astronomy classroom. Her eyes that day had been luminous, calling to him. He thought he read the signals right; she leaned into him and he leaned into her but their lips didn't meet that day. Later, after winning the duet competition, they went to a local restaurant and really talked. Toward the end of their dinner, she had tucked their winning gift certificate into her purse, her eyes inexplicably filled with tears, and told him that a gentleman always pays on a first date. So, it was their first date.

_xxxxx_

She finally let him kiss her at Sectionals. They were performing another duet for the competition that day. Before their cue, back stage, they stood together, eyes locked.

"What?" she asked, smiling a little.

"You're beautiful," he replied.

She bit her lip slightly, then went to take her place. They won that day. He drove her home afterward and walked her to her door, holding her warm hand in his.

"We did a great job today...or, I should say, _you _did a great job...I'm just along for the ride," he said, giving her the credit.

She blushed and smiled, looking at her toes. "No, _we _did a great job, Sam."

He squeezed her hand and turned to leave, but she didn't let go. In fact, she pulled him back to her.

"I-I just wanted to-" she began. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her suddenly. She returned the kiss just as eagerly, her arms draped over his shoulders. They stood there for several moments, locked in an embrace, their lips moving over one another's hesitantly but wanting. They finally broke apart slightly; her eyes flicked up to his.

"Thanks Sam..." she whispered and went inside.

_You know I need your love  
>You've got that hold over me<br>As long as I've got your love  
>You know that I'll never leave.<em>

_xxxxx_

After that, they were an established couple. He loved to hear her sing. He loved to make her smile. He loved to look into her eyes. He loved to study at her house. There was a quiet room, the library she called it, where they'd go with their books, shut the door, and make out like crazy. At first, though, she balked at anything more than kissing.

"A little _something something _always leads to something more. I've been there, remember?" she said one time when he tried to touch her bare knee.

Of course, he knew her past...he knew she had been pregnant the year before and had given up the baby girl for adoption. She didn't speak of it often but when she did there was a sadness beyond words only in her eyes. Her eyes always gave her away.

She finally relented though, after he stopped _trying _to get down her pants. One night, he found himself lying beneath her while she sucked on his neck, his hands stroking her back, wanting so badly to drop down farther, just for one touch of those red briefs she wore under her Cheerios get-up. His dick was hard between them; he knew she had to feel it against her belly. He felt himself losing control that night, letting it build deep within him...he didn't care...her hot breath on his neck was all he could focus on. His hands began their descent to her ass. Just as his fingers grazed the tightness of her butt cheeks, she spoke to him.

"Say my name, Sam..." she whispered into his ear. He didn't answer. He forgot what words were, forgot her name, forgot _his_ name...was on the brink of coming. "I said..._say...my...name..._"

He used the trick he had heard at school and thought of Coach Beiste...thought about her hard. His fingers gripped Quinn's ass, and he pressed her against his cock. Coach Beiste in a tutu happened too late. He grunted her name the best he could as he came in his pants.

"Qu-Qui-_Quinn_..." he said, his eyes closed, hips pressing up to her. When he finally dared to open his eyes and look at her, she snickered and rolled off him. She had done it on purpose, but he loved every minute of it.

By the time they performed at the Hudson-Hummel wedding, she was actively encouraging him to dry hump her in the backseat of his car.

The day they attempted to sing Christmas carols for the students at McKinley High, but were run off by a teacher flinging her shoe at them, she invited him to her house after school. She said she wanted to give him his Christmas present. They sat together next to her gigantic Christmas tree, and he opened a small box in pretty wrapping and ribbon and found her tiny school picture.

He looked up at her smiling but confused. "I don't get it...you're giving me..._yourself_?" He no sooner had the words out of his mouth before he realized what she meant, what she was going to give him.

She nodded shyly, blushing, then took his hand and led him to her bedroom. Quietly, wordlessly, they undressed one another, then lay on her bed together, kissing and touching and exploring each other. He lost his virginity in a haze of pleasure, anxiety, heat, and, what he later realized was love.

_When I wanted you to share my life  
>I had no doubt in my mind<br>And it's been you, woman,  
>Right down the line.<em>

Two months after their first time, he broke up with her, in the middle of the hallway at school. He had heard about her kissing Finn and Santana confirmed it. So, he decided to cut his losses..._no harm, no foul_...and take up Santana's offer. Seeing Quinn after the breakup, though, didn't make him feel any better; if anything, he felt worse and he missed her like crazy and dating Santana was awful because it was really like dating Santana _and _Brittany and he was the third wheel. Then, Santana dumped his ass in front of God and everybody in Glee Club for the guy he heard was a closet gay. He didn't have time to worry about the Santana situation for long because soon his parents packed up his family and moved to the seediest motel in or near Lima. They had lost their home and were now homeless. He quietly withdrew himself from school activities while finding a part-time job delivering pizzas at night.

He rushed into church, almost late since he had to wait for the shower at the motel. At least it had been a cold shower, after the dream he had awaken to, one involving him and all the cheerleaders for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, sitting in church, in his one suit and tie, listening to the pastor go on about helping thy neighbor he was nearly dozing when he heard something familiar and he was suddenly wide awake and filled with dread.

"Can we find it in our hearts, neighbors, to help a family in need?" the pastor said to the congregation in a friendly tone, looking directly at the Evans. "A family who has not been with us very long but still are good hardworking people are in need of some assistance." More and more of the congregation began to follow the pastor's gaze to where Sam and his family sat. His face was burning; this was awful. Kids he went to school with were there; _Quinn _was there.

After services that day, the congregation flocked around his parents. Sam stood off to the side in utter embarrassment, then felt a presence next to him.

"How can I help you?" Quinn asked him. "What can I do for your family, Sam?"

She stood a few inches shorter than him that day and looked up at him, her eyes wide open and attentive. She wore a simple white eyelet dress, covered by a fuzzy pink cardigan. She mesmerized him...that's all there was to it. He stood there silently, trying to break her gaze but not succeeding. As ashamed as he was of his family's predicament, trying to not make eye contact with Quinn Fabray was impossible. She touched his arm lightly.

"Let me know what I can do, okay?" She smiled a little and wandered off.

A couple weeks later, he approached her at her locker.

"I hate to bother you, Quinn, but maybe you could babysit my kid brother and sister?" he asked, staring at his sneakers. That came out completely awkwardly.

She shut her locker door. "Tell me when and where."

Somehow, having Quinn back in his life, made living in the motel, scrounging for food, and working his ass off bearable. She did so much more than he expected...cleaning the place up, preparing meals, decent clothes appeared for his brother and sister...and when he'd come home after running pizzas around town she'd be there with a smile on her face. Some nights, she'd sit with him while he attempted to do his homework, helping him when he needed it. He never told her, but felt she already knew, he had started dating Mercedes.

_I know how much I lean on you  
>Only you can see<br>The changes that I've been through  
>Have left a mark on me.<em>

At the end of the school year, though, he moved away...his father got a job out of state. He hadn't realized how much Quinn had brought to his life until she was not a part of it anymore.

Time slipped away...from both of them. Poor choices were made...Sam finding work in a strip club, Quinn becoming a Skank. Those were dark days for them both...neither one thought of the other. Sam only focused on now having a way to provide for his siblings, to help his parents out. Quinn only focused on herself and where her life had taken a wrong turn. The day that Sam reappeared in the choir room, after Finn and Rachel tracked him down in nothing but red short-shorts at the strip club, Quinn felt like the light had returned to her life.

_You've been as constant as a Northern Star  
>The brightest light that shines<br>It's been you, woman,  
>Right down the line.<em>

She was still plotting to win back her daughter from Shelby. With Sam back in the picture, she immediately grabbed him after Glee Club one day, asking...practically _begging _him...to help raise Beth with her. He turned her down.

The last thing he needed at that point was to get involved with Quinn and the daughter who was adopted by Shelby while he was trying to win Mercedes' heart back. When Mercedes finally dumped him once and for all, Quinn somehow noticed. By that point, she was past trying to get Beth back and was working on applying to Yale. She quietly stepped in and began tutoring Sam in math and English.

Quinn announced her acceptance to Yale University in front of Glee Club; Sam caught up with her afterward to congratulate her. Holding her hands in his, he lightly kissed her cheek next to her locker. After that shy sweet kiss, secretly they began seeing one another again, quickly picking up where they left off the first time.

Soon, Finn and Rachel informed the Glee Club that they were getting married. As soon as the results were announced for Regionals, they were heading to the courthouse to be legally wed by a justice of the peace. There was an air of excitement as Regionals neared, mostly for the competition and somewhat for the upcoming nuptials. Sam had to spend a lot of time with the guys talking about wedding stuff suddenly, and, while alone with his thoughts, he began thinking about his future with Quinn. They had talked about it a little, with her going to Yale and him being a senior in the coming year, and had decided to make a decision over the summer about whether they should try to stay together or part ways. He had to admit, just the thought of parting with her _again _made him queasy. So, with all the wedding furor going on around him, he pondered giving her another promise ring...or maybe something more like an engagement ring...if she would accept it. With that in mind, he decided to...propose? he wasn't sure if that was the right way to put it...after Finn and Rachel got hitched.

He chose a simple gold band with a tiny chip of a diamond set in it...much like the first promise ring he had given her.

All through their Regionals performance and while waiting for Finn and Rachel's ceremony to begin, the black velvet ring box was tucked in his jacket pocket, safe and sound.

And it still sat in the black velvet ring box, untouched and unseen by Quinn.

_I just wanna say this is my way  
>Of tellin' you everything<br>I could never say before  
>Yeah this is my way of tellin' you<br>That every day I'm lovin' you so much more..._

_xxxxx_

"I never got to ask her that question," Sam whispered to her. He held her cool hand, his thumb making circles on her soft skin, the skin the doctors told him needed to be moisturized daily.

The accident had happened three days prior; Quinn was still unconscious and pretty banged up. Sam had been keeping a bedside vigil at the hospital. Now, all their friends knew that they were, again, a couple. With her mother's permission, he stayed at her side, mostly holding her hand or brushing her hair gently or applying the lotion to keep her skin smooth and supple so that when she woke up she'd know he had been taking care of her the only way he knew how.

He decided to tell her their story, like the guy in _The Notebook_. Sam thought that maybe if she heard those memories she'd wake up, knowing he was there. As he neared the most recent part of their story, the part she didn't know about - the ring, he picked up the black velvet box and opened it.

"I wonder what she would've said," he said quietly and took the ring out. He slipped it on her right ring finger, admiring how beautiful it looked there. He removed it and put it back in its box.

He sat there quietly, looking at her. Still holding her hand, he dozed off, dreaming of happier days when Quinn was awake, smiling and laughing, her eyes sparkling to their depths...not stilled, silenced, unresponsive, unmoving...no angry bruises and gashes and swelling...

_'Cause you believed in me through my darkest night  
>Put somethin' better inside of me<br>You brought me into the light  
>Threw away all those crazy dreams<br>I put them all behind  
>And it was you, woman,<br>Right down the line._

She squeezed his hand.

He opened his eyes, groggily. _Had she moved? _he thought, still seeing dreamy images of her laying beneath him. He had made love to her the night before Regionals and had felt so close to her afterward. He nearly offered her the ring then. His dream had ended with her looking up at him from her pillow, her hair spread all around, her cheeks flushed, a smile on her lips...he heard her say she loved him in that moment and he had said it back to her.

Her hand tightened around his. His eyes opened fully and he was completely awake then, staring at her.

"She'd say yes..." Her voice was nearly inaudible, less than a whisper, a bit of sound carried on her breath.

He sat up straight, leaning forward, wondering if he was still dreaming. "Quinn?"

The tiniest of smiles curved her lips upward, and her eyes fluttered open. "Sam..."

_I just wanna say this is my way of tellin' you everything  
>I could never say before<br>Yeah this is my way of tellin' you  
>Everything I could never say before<em>

_Yeah this is my way of tellin' you_  
><em>That every day I'm lovin' you so much more...<em>

_xxxxx_

"I heard this song the day Quinn was in the accident, and I remember thinking of her while I drove to the courthouse to see our friends get married. I knew, then, in my heart and soul, that Quinn was the one for me and what I planned on asking her that night was the best decision I had ever made. Over the years, I've not forgotten this song and knew it would hold a special place on this special day," Sam said, handing the microphone back to the DJ.

The opening guitar chords of Right Down The Line began playing, and Sam walked slowly to his new bride and asked her for the dance. Sam had been out of high school for five years; they each had finished college and were settling into their new jobs. He had listened to this song the night before the wedding when some nervousness hit him.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, Quinn looked up at him, then kissed him softly on the lips. "I never knew that was why you liked this song," she said, letting him embrace her tightly as they moved around the floor while others joined them.

"The memory is so clear. I heard that song on the way to the courthouse, and I remember thinking that it's been you, all along. Then, it just kept going through my head while you were in the hospital. The guitar is haunting. I hope this was okay," he told her. The song and dance had been a surprise at their wedding reception.

"I love it, Sam, not as much as you though," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. He danced with her slowly, singing to her the final lyrics of the song.

_If I should doubt myself, if I'm losing ground,  
>I won't turn to someone else<br>They'd only let me down...  
>When I wanted you to share my life<br>I had no doubt in my mind  
>And it's been you, woman,<br>Right down the line._


	19. Called Up

_**Called Up**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Glee or the song **_**Travelin' Soldier **_**by The Dixie Chicks.**

**Thanks to OvergronStan for suggesting this song idea.**

The Buckeye Diner in Lima was usually buzzing with activity on summer days in 1968. Kids popped dimes in the jukebox to hear the latest and greatest tunes by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Bee Gees, Diana Ross and The Supremes, and Arethra Franklin. More often than not, impromptu sock hops would break out in the raised area of the diner, the part that faced the bus depot. Usually the ones sock hopping were Quinn's friends, there hanging out for milkshakes and sandwiches and good tunes. Some days, the radio was tuned into the local station so adults at the coffee bar could keep up with the national news. The big talk was Vietnam. Quinn was tired of hearing about it. The draft lottery was going on, and Lima boys and men were getting drafted, to be sent somewhere overseas to fight in a war they didn't even know what they were fighting for. It was getting to be too much to deal with most days, so she threw herself into cheerleading and working at the diner part-time.

She remembers the day so clearly…a hot late July day. The air was heavy and thick, the heat layering everything and everyone like a blanket. Not a breeze to be bought. The diner was unusually quiet, in between lunch and supper. Her pink-and-white-striped dress clung to her in the awful heat. Even the half apron she tied around her waist added another layer of misery. She had pulled her long golden hair into a high ponytail and tied it with a pretty pink bow, anything to get her hair off the back of her neck. The only things stirring the air in the diner were ceiling fans, turning slowly, and nothing else. The radio was on and a voice droned on about President Johnson and his latest decision. She popped her Bazooka gum and dug out a dime from her apron, took it to the jukebox, and put on some Arethra. She took a tray and danced around, picking up dirtied plates and bowls and glasses, then she plucked a towel from the table-cleaning bucket and continued moving about the empty diner, wiping down tables and singing, _I Say A Little Prayer For You_.

While wiping down a table in the raised section, she heard the bell ring over the main door. She stopped singing and dancing and turned to see who the customer was.

_Two days past eighteen  
>He was waiting for the bus in his army greens<br>Sat down in a booth in a cafe there  
>Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair<em>

The guy stepped into the diner and stopped, watching the girl sing and dance. The sun beat down through the windows on her, and, when she heard the bell ding, she stopped dancing, frozen in a statuesque position. His first thought was _boy, can that girl sing_ and _she's an angel_. The sun behind her cast her in a glow.

The only sound was the end of Arethra singing..._to live without you would only bring heartbreak for me_...

The girl cleared her throat and bounced down from the raised seating area to go behind the counter. She dropped the towel back in the bucket and dried her hands. He walked over to a table in a shadowy corner, away from the glare of the sun. He set his duffel bag down on the floor, then sat down himself. The girl came over to him, popping her gum, and handed him a menu. She also set down a tall glass of ice water.

"It's hot out there...looks like you could use it," she said, when he looked from the water up to her.

His blonde hair was shaggy, he was sweaty, and looked up at her like a lost puppy. He was certainly not a beatnik or hippie; he was dressed in army greens...heading to service. He was not from around Lima, either; she didn't recognize him. His bright blue eyes, though, spoke volumes to her...at one time he had been happy, the light was still there, even though his body seemed tired already. He smiled at her; his full lips reddened from his biting on them.

"Thanks, miss," he replied, sipping the water, remembering his manners.

"So, you travelin' somewheres?" she asked him, leaning against the table, popping her gum.

"To boot camp, miss...just waitin' on my bus," he replied.

They stared at one another silently for a bit, then he realized she was waiting on him to order something so he looked down suddenly at the menu, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

"The army, huh? To fight in that God-awful war?"

"Yes, miss. My number was called up," he answered, shrugging as if he didn't care. "Just doin' my duty."

"You from around here? You don't look familiar."

"A farm just outside Lima. Um, I guess I'll have a grilled ham salad sam'wich and maybe some fries and a lemonade, please," he told her.

She pulled her order pad from her apron and wrote down what he said in shorthand without taking her eyes off him. He handed her the menu.

"You sure sing good," he said quietly, looking down at the glass of water, still blushing. "Really blew my mind..."

She popped her gum, gaining his attention back, then smiled at him and practically skipped back to the counter. She poured his lemonade and hit the bell for the cook.

The cook lumbered into the pass-through window. "Really Quinn? You don't need to slam the damn thing."

"You got an order, Puck!" she said sweetly, then took a glass of cold lemonade back to the blonde guy. She heard Puck grumbling behind the window.

"Here ya go, soldier," she said, placing the lemonade next to the water.

"Your name's Quinn? That's...pretty," he said, shyly.

"Yeah...it's right here," she said, pointing at her name tag just over her left breast. He glanced there but blushed again fiercely. He was wringing his hands together and nearly shaking, so she sat down across from him. "You nervous? 'Bout goin' over..._there_?"

He shrugged again. "Nothin' to be nervous about...really." He stared again at the table, the water, the lemonade, the jukebox, anything to not look at her. He felt if he met her eyes, all his resolve would be out the window and he'd never step on that bus to leave.

She looked around too, mostly out the window at the empty bus depot. "No one's seeing you off? Usually there's a parade down Main Street to the depot when a boy leaves."

"I'm goin' this alone...my dad had to stay on the farm, there's work to be done there, mom stayed with my brother and sister," the boy replied.

"I see..." she said.

"Order up, Quinn!" the cook boomed from the pass-over window, hitting the bell. "Don't be sittin' around talking to the customers," he muttered under his breath as she approached the window. She just gave him a dirty look and rolled her eyes.

"You can be such a pisser at times, Q," Puck muttered under his breath and wandered off.

She got up to retrieve the boy's order and took it to him.

"What's his deal?" the boy asked her, glancing to where Puck had been.

"He's just a candyass who thinks he's a badass," she said, sitting back down across from him. He began eating slowly with her watching him.

"You have pretty eyes," she said finally. He blinked.

"Thank you..."

"When does your bus get here?"

"Uh, like 8 o'clock..." he replied, taking a bite of his sandwich, another sip of lemonade.

"You gonna miss home?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

The bell over the door rang and a rowdy group of kids burst through.

"Suzy Q! How's it hangin'?" a boy in a wheelchair asked Quinn.

"Hey Arthur…a little to the right," Quinn replied, smiling. The boy sitting with her smiled too and Arthur laughed.

Two girls, obviously hippies, followed Arthur.

"God, Artie, have you, like, gained weight?" the tall blonde asked as she pushed the boy. "I think you might be retaining water."

The blonde girl and her dark-haired friend both wore patchwork denim short-shorts and floppy hats and blue-colored Beatles shades. The dark-haired girl spun around on roller skates.

"Who's your friend, Queen B?" the dark-haired hippie asked her, eyeing the boy still eating fries.

Quinn looked over at him, her mouth open.

"Sam…Sam Evans," he replied to the others.

"Sam…" Quinn repeated.

The bell rang again, and a short brunette girl and a tall brown-haired boy came in, him listening intently to what she was telling him. They were not hippies, more preppy types, her wearing a mini-dress and argyle knee socks even in the July heat and him wearing khaki slacks and loafers.

"I'm telling you, Finn, a Beatles medley would be the bee's knees!" she exclaimed. The boy looked slightly confused but nodded. They saw Quinn, and the short brunette rushed over.

"Why hello, Quinn, dear. And who is this?"

"Hello Rachel. This is Sam Evans who is waiting on his bus. Sam, this is Rachel, our resident busy bee," Quinn told him, earning a shocked look from Rachel.

"Hiya…" Sam mumbled to the girl while the tall boy hovered behind her.

"And this is Finn…" Quinn said, nodding to the tall kid. "Let me take care of them and I'll be back…"

She started to go to her group of friends, then turned back to Sam.

"Um, I'm off in an hour…wanna go talk somewhere before your bus gets here?" she asked suddenly, biting the edge of her pink glossy lip.

He was sipping the lemonade when she asked. He set the glass down and nodded, not taking his eyes off her.

_He's a little shy so she gives him a smile  
>And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while<br>And talking to me, I'm feeling a little low  
>She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go<em>

She then got up to take care of her friends. Sam watched her from his table, moving around them like she was a butterfly. They all seemed to be pulled to her...her smile and laughter, her dumb jokes, her grace. Most of them ordered _the usual_, and she rung the bell for the cook. He appeared at the window, and shouted hello to the group. Sam realized they were all friends. The dark-haired hippie chick rolled over to the jukebox and popped a dime in, and The Doors started playing. Two new guys arrived, both wearing black turtlenecks and super-tight denim jeans, even in the heat. They were greeted warmly by the group.

Sam watched as others would go to the jukebox after a song had finished and feed it a dime to hear another song. He also noticed how the group seemingly harmonized together, moving slightly with one another, as if they knew instinctively dances to the songs. Quinn served them their _usual _and came back to sit with Sam. She cleared away his empty plate and refilled his lemonade.

"They're a bunch of crazy cats but I love 'em," she said, nodding her head toward the group. "How 'bout you? Friends? Girlfriend?"

He shrugged. "No one really...I dropped out of school in tenth grade to help on the farm, didn't really stay friends with those kids and no girlfriend."

"You look tan...from working on the farm, I guess...and no girlfriend? Wow...someone's loss..." she said quietly. "I need to go finish up some stuff, then we can go. I mean, if you still want to go with me..."

"Yeah, sure...sounds cool..."

At 5 o'clock, Quinn untied her apron and left it behind the counter, saying goodbye to her friends, then went to Sam's table.

"C'mon, Sam, let's beat feet..." she said, holding out her hand to him. He took her hand and followed her out.

_So they went down and they sat on the pier  
>He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care<br>I got no one to send a letter to  
>Would you mind if I sent one back here to you?<em>

Their first stop was actually behind the diner, at a beat-up pickup truck parked in the shade.

"Puck won't miss a coupla these..." she said, reaching into the bed of the truck and plucking a couple ice-cold cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon from a cooler. She tossed one to Sam. He looked at it, confused. "For serving our country," she said to him.

She then walked over to a shiny black VW Bug and got behind the wheel. "You comin'?" she asked him since he still stood by the pickup holding his beer.

"Uh, yeah...I'm comin'..." He came to the passenger's side and tossed his duffel bag into the backseat. He climbed in and popped open his can.

"For serving me, you know, in there," he said as a toast and clinked his can with hers. She smiled at him again. "So, where you takin' me?"

"You'll see..."

_xxxxx_

They wound up at a large lake on the outskirts of Lima. She parked her car, grabbed a blanket from the trunk, took Sam's hand and led him down a wooded trail running parallel to the water's edge. The trail ended at a pier overlooking the lake. The sun was still just above the horizon so they kicked off their shoes and sat on the end of the pier, dangling their feet in the cool water, watching some people boat in the distance. They sat side by side in silence for awhile until she finally turned to him.

"So, Sam Evans, how do you really feel about going into the service?" she asked him.

"It's what I'm supposed to do," he replied. "All us men got to at some point in time."

"But how do _you _feel about it? I know you think you have to and you're going to go but how do you really feel about leaving Ohio?"

Had she read it in his eyes? He hated having to leave home. He didn't want to leave his parents or kid brother and sister or the farm. He had a life there and wasn't ready to give it up. For as bad as he didn't want to get on that bus, it had led him to this pretty girl sitting on the dock with him, close enough that her thigh rubbed against his, then her hand held his.

"I don't wanna leave," he murmured.

She was no longer smiling but gazing at him intensely. A slight breeze came in off the lake and lifted a layer of his hair.

"I thought you said you were reporting for boot camp?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her.

"Your jacket…it says Evans," she explained.

"Oh, yeah, this is my dad's…"

They sat in silence for a bit longer as the sun continued its descent, the light of the day waning. He slipped the jacket off, leaving him in a tight white t-shirt.

"I, for one, think you deserve a better send-off than a shitty can of nasty beer," she whispered to him.

Slowly, she leaned toward him, doing something she had never done before. Their lips connected lightly, softly, and lingered together. He could taste the PBR and Bazooka and pink lip gloss on her lips. He felt her tugging his hand to her waist, then she held his shoulders. They parted finally, not looking away.

"Wow…bananas…" he mumbled, smiling lopsidedly at her. She smiled back and leaned in again.

_I cried  
>Never gonna hold the hand of another guy<br>Too young for him they told her  
>Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier<em>

_Our love will never end_  
><em>Waitin' for the soldier to come back again<em>  
><em>Never more to be alone when the letter said<em>  
><em>A soldier's coming home<em>

"C'mon…" she said, after more kissing and now groping. She stood up and held out her hand to him. He stood up. She grabbed the blanket from the pier and ran back toward the edge of the forest. She threw the blanket on the ground and sat down. He followed and slid in next to her.

"You are going to get such a groovy going-away gift from me…" she purred, pulling him to her. He stretched the length of his body against hers.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, finding it hard to believe his luck.

"Oh yeah…" she said, running her hand down his chest. "I-I just need to tell you…um, I've never…um…"

He was kissing her, moving from her lips to her ear to her neck. He stopped and looked at her.

"Never?" he asked and she nodded. "Me either."

He nipped at her lips. His hand crept up her side, almost to her boob, then stopped.

"I don't have a rubber, though," he said, almost leaning off her. She grasped his shoulders and pulled him back to her.

"It's cool…" she whispered. "More kissing."

Their hands roamed over one another's body, then articles of clothing were tossed aside. The moon had risen, and, in the moonlight, Sam stared at Quinn's bare breasts, her nipples at attention in the cooler air. Her hand had migrated down to the front of his pants, rubbing his erection carefully, hesitantly. The skirt of her diner uniform was pushed up to her hips, and he reached for her panties. His fingers brushed her upper thigh, and she shivered.

"Are you sure, Quinn?" he asked quietly.

"Yes…yeah, I'm sure…Sam…" she replied. His name was new on her lips; she enjoyed saying it out loud.

Everything was so escalated, so _heated_, for her. So new. The way he kissed her, hard and passionately. The way he held her and touched her. The way he pressed his hard body against hers, pushing his penis into her groin.

He slid his hand inside her panties, to her wetness. The kissing stopped while he explored her. Then, he pushed the panties down her legs and pulled them off her. He straddled her thigh and let her fingers explore him. She touched the bulge in his pants, then unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them. He put his knees together between her legs and pushed his pants down to his knees, revealing white undershorts. She traced the outline of his cock with her fingers, then pulled the shorts down slowly.

Once his pants were out of the way, he leaned over her, kissing her again. She drew her knees up alongside his body and waited for him. His hips were pressed against hers; she could feel the tip of his cock pushing at her entrance. He grunted a little, then reached down to himself and worked his penis around until she made a little sound to let him know he was in the right place.

He whispered _okay _to her and kissed her gently while pushing in. She winced ever so slightly at the sting and gripped his shoulders tightly.

"Oh…oh…" he mumbled at the sensation. "Gosh…Quinn."

Slowly, he began moving over her, looking down at her, trying to contain the pleasure rocking his body. She locked her eyes with his, taking in the feeling of losing her virginity to this handsome stranger. His breathing was quickening, as was his pace, and she saw him bite his lip. The sting was gone, and she began to feel some pleasure from the motion. She brought her knees up, crossing her ankles behind him.

"Oh god…uh…" he whimpered, then his body trembled over her. He was breathing in gasps next to her ear. His hips still moved with slow jerks, pushing in and out of her. She felt a warm wetness now between her legs.

"Did you? Did you…have one?" she asked him finally.

"Yeah…" he whispered, kissing her cheek. He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back, sucking in air. "That was bananas."

She smiled in the twilight. "Yeah…it was, Sam."

For the briefest of moments, he considered ditching the bus while they lay side by side, holding hands.

They dressed slowly; it was nearing 8 o'clock and she needed to get him back to the bus depot. She wrote down her address, and he said he'd send her a letter with his return address, when he knew what it was.

They sat together on the bench outside the depot, waiting for the bus to pull up. She held his hand as they waited; both were silent. She heard the rumble of the bus' engine first.

"Well, it sure was nice meeting you, Sam Evans," she said, trying to be light.

They stood up together when the bus rolled to a stop. Others boarded, but they stood facing each other. He dropped his duffel bag from his hand and embraced her tightly.

"Thank you, Quinn, I'll never forget your kindness," he mumbled into her hair, mindful of his manners. Her hair smelled like sunshine, though, and it was hard for him to think straight. He kissed her one last time. "Write soon."

"I will, Sam," she said, watching him pick up his bag. "Oh! I don't have a picture of myself…will this do?" She untied the ribbon in her hair and handed it to him. He pinched it between his thumb and forefinger, relishing the memory of lying on her blanket together.

"It's perfect."

The bus driver cleared his throat, and Sam looked at Quinn again. He then boarded the bus, finding a seat to watch her from the window as the bus pulled away from the depot slowly and rumbled down the road from Lima.

_So the letters came from an army camp  
>In California then Vietnam<br>And he told her of his heart  
>It might be love and all of the things he was so scared of<em>

_He said when it's getting kinda rough over here_  
><em>I think of that day sittin' down at the pier<em>  
><em>And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile<em>  
><em>Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile<em>

Quinn wrote him first, the night he left, the night they met. She sent along a picture taken of her at the diner. He wrote back soon thereafter, telling her about boot camp and how he was still thankful for her 'send-off'. Later, he sent a picture of himself when boot camp ended, wearing a wifebeater and fatigues and boots, posing with his rifle. His smile made her cry.

She was back in school, two months after he left, when she sat down to write him the news. He was going to be a father. She sent her senior picture with that letter.

The last letter she received from him he said he could not be happier, that as soon as he returned from his tour he'd be back to Lima to take care of her and their baby. He said he knew it wasn't a proper proposal but still he asked her to marry him in that letter. She read his letter at the mailbox, then sucked in her breath to tell her parents of her and Sam and the baby on the way.

_I cried  
>Never gonna hold the hand of another guy<br>Too young for him they told her  
>Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier<em>

_Our love will never end_  
><em>Waitin' for the soldier to come back again<em>  
><em>Never more to be alone when the letter said<em>  
><em>A soldier's coming home<em>

_One Friday night at a football game_  
><em>The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang<em>  
><em>A man said folks would you bow your heads<em>  
><em>For a list of local Vietnam dead<em>

She was cheering at a football game and not feeling very well, so she asked her coach if she could sit out the halftime show. She had felt the urge to throw up and snuck away under the bleachers to do so when she heard the man at the microphone.

She then heard the name she never expected to hear..._Private First Class Samuel Mason Evans_. Her world, her life, came to a standstill.

She held her breath but then sobbed. Then puked.

"God no…" she whispered. "Not my Sam."

_Crying all alone under the stands  
>Was a piccolo player in the marching band<br>And one name read and nobody really cared  
>But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair<em>

_I cried_  
><em>Never gonna hold the hand of another guy<em>  
><em>Too young for him they told her<em>  
><em>Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier<em>

_Our love will never end_  
><em>Waitin' for the soldier to come back again<em>  
><em>Never more to be alone when the letter says<em>  
><em>A soldier's coming…<em>

**Six years later**

She sat on a park bench, watching the children play. It was a warm late summer day and lately she had been lonely, even more so than usual. Maybe it had to do with the letter she received…Sam's belongings. She had contacted his parents after learning of his death. For some time, there was tension…then the grandchild arrived and they were family now. His mother sent his dog tags and a pink ribbon, telling Quinn it had been found on his person when he was identified.

In the park, she held his dog tags in her fist, suddenly angry again, for him being taken from her. She could feel the ridges of the letters and numbers stamped into the metal _Evans, Samuel M_ then his social security number then _O positive_ then _Baptist_. All of her Sam…held in her hand on a cold silver chain.

"Momma! Momma!" the tiny voice called to her, bringing her out of her memories. A miniature version of her Sam ran up to her. "Did you see me, momma? I went down the slide all by myself!"

She swept up the boy and held him tightly. She kissed his cheek, set him down, and brushed his sweaty blonde hair from his brow.

"I saw you, Mason…you're such a big boy now!" She stood up and took his hand. "What'd'ya say we go to the diner to get an ice cream? It's where I met your daddy."

The little boy smiled up at Quinn. "I'm gonna be just like my daddy!"

She held his hand tighter.

_I cried  
>Never gonna hold the hand of another guy<br>Too young for him they told her  
>Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier<em>

_Our love will never end_  
><em>Waitin' for the soldier to come back again<em>  
><em>Never more to be alone when the letter says<em>  
><em>A soldier's coming home<em>

**A/N: I had to fudge a little on the draft information, moving it up in time and having it include 18-year-old's.**


End file.
